Purnia gears up to celebrate 250th anniversary

PATNA: Purnia district is set to celebrate its 250th anniversary in the coming week. A host of events will be organised on February 14 and 15 to mark the occasion.
The district administration has appealed to all residents to decorate their houses and business establishments with lights and rangolis and also participate enthusiastically in the events to be held on the occasion of anniversary celebration.The best three decorated premises would be awarded by the district administration.
Purnia DM Rahul Kumar on Sunday said that a special memorial march, ‘Smriti Yatra’, would be taken out in the district headquarters as a token of tribute to the first civil surgeon Dr Pikachi, who revolutionised the healthcare system in 1770, by undertaking horse rides to remote areas for treatment of ailing people. An exhibition of his services will be also organised near the old dilapidated house of Dr Pikachi.
The district administration has sought public opinion through the social media as to what more events could be organised to add value to this celebration. With the appointment of George Ducrail as its first supervisor collector, Purnia got the status of a district on February 14, 1770, said the DM.
A festival named as ‘Purainia Mahotsav’ being organised during the anniversary function will have a flower show competition for encouraging people to grow flower plants in and around their houses. “Gardening helps to maintain the ecosystem,” said Rahul.
Other events slated for the occasion include free screening of two films— Dangal and Panchlat—hockey and football competitions, cultural functions and panel discussion by experts on various topics.
Abhiyan Kitab Daan, another initiative launched on January 25, as a part of the anniversary celebration to build up libraries in 2,255 government schools with enrolment of six lakh students, has also evoked good response and over 2000 books donated by locals reached the officials till Saturday.
“We want to make it a historic event and the ‘Donate Books’ initiative aimed at collecting at least one lakh books by March end for developing libraries in all schools, will boost school education in the district,” the DM said.