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Udupi : The country and the countrymen gained a lot during the tenure of great leader, late Smt Indira Gandhi, gifted with firm determination and an iron will, said Pramod Madhwaraj, Minister for Fisheries, Sports and Youth Empowerment.

He was speaking after inaugurating the year long programmes to mark the centenary celebrations of first women prime minister of India, Smt. Indira Gandhi and celebrations of International Women’s Day at the Town Hall on Saturday, 11^th March, 2017 which was organized by District Women Congress unit.

He said she was the champion of the poor and downtrodden. When the Independence year at 1947, there were 25 crores poor people in the country while in 2017 there are 25 crores of people in the country. People of the nation should think about the former leaders of the congress who succeeded to eradicate the poor and downtrodden people.

Smt Indira Gandhi initiated her 20 point programme to help millions of her countrymen. She introduced several schemes for the country especially poor and downtrodden. Indira Gandhi was a true patriot and will always be remembered as a bold Prime Minister of India. The congress women workers should create awareness among the young generation on Indira Gandhi’s welfare programmes.

Pramod Madhwaraj said that even Indira Gandhi knew through intelligence agencies about the planning to her assassins. But she was very bold in regard to the people of India. In her last speech in Bhubaneswar, Smt Indira Gandhi said that ‘I don’t mind if my life goes in the service of the nation, I spent the whole of my life in the service of my people. I shall continue to serve until my last breath and when I die, I can say that every drop of my blood will invigorate Indian and strengthen it. If I die a violent death, as some fear and a re are plotting, I know that the violence will be thought and the action of the assassins, not in my dying’.

On the occasion, various women achievers including Sarla Kanchan, Appi Bai, Chandrika Shetty, Chandrika Kelkar, Dr Sunitha Shetty, Roshni Olivera, Shobha Kakkunje, Sundari Puttur and M.A. Gaffoor were felicitated.

Veronica Cornelio District Women Congress leader gave keynote address and welcomed the gathering. Dr. Sunitha Shetty and others compered the programme. M.A. Gaffoor, President of  Minority Development Commission, Jayashree Krishna Raj and Sarasu Bangera KPCC members, Amrith Shenoy Senet member of Mangalore University, Sathish Ameen Padukere Udupi Block President, Geetha Wagle, Meenakshi Madhav, Sandhya Tilakraj, Gopi Naik, Roshni Oliveira and other among were present.