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Tribute Ceremony: President Draupadi Murmu, Vice President CP Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a prayer ceremony at former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s 101st birth anniversary at his memorial Sadav Atal, which was attended by M Venkaiah Naidu, Om Birla, JP Nadda, Nirmala Sitharaman, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, several ministers, MPs, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and BJP working president Nitin Nabin. (PTI photo)
Messages from leaders: The Prime Minister said it was a privilege to pay tribute to Sadav Atal and said Vajpayee’s life of public service would continue to inspire citizens. He said Vajpayee’s leadership and work will remain a guiding light for development, he dedicated himself to governance and nation-building, and he will be remembered for effective communication and poetry that shaped public life and democratic debate. (PTI photo)
Birthday: Born in 1924 in Gwalior and died in New Delhi in 2018, Vajpayee’s birth anniversary is celebrated as Good Governance Day. The BJP celebrated the occasion with programs by Chief Ministers, Union Ministers, MPs and organizational leaders across the country. Good Governance Day coincides with Christmas and aims to promote awareness about accountability, governance and citizen-centric delivery in government systems and public institutions.
Background of the day: After Vajpayee and Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya received the Bharat Ratna, the government declared 25 December as Good Governance Day in 2014 to honor Vajpayee’s legacy. The festival highlights the responsibilities and functions of the government, equitable treatment and access to services for citizens. Activities related to the observance begin on 19 December and continue till 25 December, encouraging participation among government agencies and the public through structured outreach.
Initiative Focus: Good Governance Day highlights initiatives like Digital India for e-governance and digital accessibility, Right to Information Act for transparency, MyGov platform for citizen feedback, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan for cleanliness, Direct Benefit Transfers to reduce leakages and monitoring of projects and Pragati 2.0 to address delays. These programs seek to strengthen service delivery, improve accountability, and bridge the gap between departments, beneficiaries and decision-making fora. (AP Photo)
public life: Vajpayee served three terms as the 13th Prime Minister of India between 1996 and 2004, strengthening the economy, leading during Operation Vijay in the Kargil conflict and conducting the Pokhran tests in 1998 that confirmed nuclear capability. He has had a parliamentary career spanning four decades, been elected to the Lok Sabha nine times, elected to the Rajya Sabha twice, received the Padma Vibhushan in 1992 and the Bharat Ratna in 2015, and promoted democratic inclusion. (Reuters photo)
Profile Details: He rose from Gwalior to national leadership, advocated women empowerment and social equality, prioritized highways, rural roads, telecom expansion and infrastructure, joined the Quit India Movement and was jailed for 23 days, edited Rashtradharma and Panchjanya, addressed the United Nations General Assembly in Hindi, represented four different states in Parliament, served a full five-year term as a non-Congress leader, and steered the national consensus on strategic policy. (Reuters photo)
Personal Comments: The records include his food choices beyond conventional norms, college friendship with Rajkumari Kaul, marked by an inseparable letter, poetry like ‘Kya Khoya Kya Paya’ composed by Jagjit Singh in condolence, debut album Nayi Disha, his intervention to end the post-1984 violence near his home, restoration of a missing Nehru portrait while he was External Affairs Minister and sobriety during Holi in Nainital in mourning for the earthquake victims. (Reuters photo)
public perception: Jawaharlal Nehru reportedly predicted that Vajpayee would become Prime Minister after listening to his 1957 speech. His ten notable quotes address ambition, secularism, multidimensional poverty, limits of slogans, prudence in politics, empowerment through development, nuclear deterrence, peace linked to freedom, democracy promoting cooperation and enlightened self-interest. These statements continue to be widely circulated and quoted by political leaders, students, diplomats, and civil society during the commemorations. (Reuters photo)
cultural heritage: The 2024 biopic Main Atal Hoon, directed by Ravi Jadhav and starring Pankaj Tripathi, traces Vajpayee’s journey from party organization to governance, including Pokhran, the Kargil conflict, poetry, personal episodes and policy reactions. Released on January 19, 2024, on ZEE5 with a 6.9 IMDb rating, it added context to his career and drew public attention to Good Governance Day and the continued study of his leadership record. (Image: Pankaj Tripathi/Instagram)