Sushma, Gadkari flag off Suraksha Yatra motor car rally

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari flagged off Suraksha Yatra, a motor car rally, from Rajghat in New Delhi to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

The flag off was also part of an event to launch the 30^th National Road Safety Week. The Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping, Chemicals and Fertilizers Mansukh L Mandavia and V Kalyanam, Personal Secretary to Mahatma Gandhi, were also present on the occasion.

The rally will travel through places historically associated with Gandhiji, both in India, as well as in Bangladesh and Myanmar, and will pass through Sabarmati, Porbandar, Dandi, Yerwada, Sewagram, Jabalpur, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Chauri Chaura, Champaran, Shantiniketan, and Kolkata in India before travelling to Dhaka in Bangladesh. It will conclude at Yangon in Myanmar on February 24, 2019, covering a total distance of 7,250 km. The rally is part of the year-long celebrations to commemorate the 150th year of Mahatma Gandhi in India and across the globe, initiated by Government of India on 2nd October last year.

Speaking on the occasion, Gadkari said the objective of the rally is to spread Gandhji’s message of Satya and Ahimsa among people. He said Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals are very relevant in today’s times and are respected by people the world over.  Gadkari said that since Gandhiji is an inspiration for society, this rally on his 150^th birth anniversary can have a big impact in creating awareness on the issues of road safety.  The nearly 5 lakh road accidents in the country and the resulting huge loss of lives is a major cause for concern, he said.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has taken earnest steps for reducing the number of road accidents that include rectification of accident black spots, improved road engineering, training of drivers and awareness generation. Some positive, though small, results have been seen in the past two years, with some reduction in the number of accidents. A lot more needs to be done in this regard, Gadkari said, and expressed hope that the rally and the other events being organised as part of the National Road Safety Week would help in making people more aware of the issue and the vital roles they can play in preventing accidents. The Minister also administered a Road Safety Pledge to the people on the occasion.

Sushma Swaraj called upon road users to adopt Gandhiji’s principles of Peace, Patience and Tolerance for improving road behaviour. She referred to the increasing cases of road-rage, and said that a large number of road accidents occur because people are not mentally at peace while driving, they are impatient and intolerant. She said adopting Gandhiji’s principles of can help in making people more peaceful, patient and tolerant, thereby preventing road accidents.

The Ministers also launched the 3rd edition of iSAFE, a 9-Month long championship on road safety issues for schools and colleges across India. With more than 1,500 colleges participating in the earlier editions of the competition, the expected participation this year is of 5,000 colleges.The best colleges across the nation will be awarded prizes worth Rs 25 lakh as part of the championship. Interested students can register by visiting iSAFE’s official Website, according to a PIB release.