Kumar Bahukhandi
CM Sai at ‘Aashirwad Ka Diya’ Programme: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai addresses the Aashirwad Ka Diya programme at Marine Drive, Telibandha Talab, Raipur, on Thursday evening, September 17, 2026. The programme was held as part of the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 76th birthday-Photo Credit:channel24india.com
Marine Drive at Telibandha becomes a focal point of the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan on PM Modi’s 76th birthday, with citizens joining the symbolic lighting of earthen lamps
Key Highlights
- Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai joined the ‘Aashirwad Ka Diya’ programme at Marine Drive, Telibandha Talab, Raipur, on September 17.
- The programme was held on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 76th birthday as part of the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan.
- The month-long campaign runs from September 17 to October 17.
- Sai had appealed to families to light an Aashirwad Ka Diya and associate the gesture with service and public welfare.
- Two days earlier, Sai had purchased a diya from roadside vendor Meera at Telibandha Marine Drive, linking the initiative with support for local artisans and small vendors.
Raipur: Raipur’s Marine Drive at Telibandha Talab became a centre of the ‘Aashirwad Ka Diya’ programme on Thursday , September 17, 2026 evening as Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai joined the lamp-lighting initiative being held on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 76th birthday.
The programme forms part of the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, a month-long campaign beginning September 17 and continuing until October 17. Sai had earlier appealed to families across Chhattisgarh to light an Aashirwad Ka Diya, linking the symbolic gesture with wishes for the Prime Minister’s health and long life and with a broader commitment to service and public welfare.
The Marine Drive programme was among the major lamp-lighting events planned in Raipur. Sai’s official schedule placed his participation at Telibandha Marine Drive from around 6.40 pm on Thursday.
From a Single Diya to a Larger Campaign
The symbolism of the programme had begun taking shape two days earlier at the same Marine Drive.
On September 15, Sai stopped at the roadside stall of Meera, a woman selling earthen lamps at Telibandha, and purchased a diya intended for the Aashirwad Ka Diya programme. During their interaction, he also spoke to her about welfare schemes and the importance of supporting local vendors, artisans and people earning their livelihood through their own skills.
The Chief Minister described an earthen lamp as more than a source of light, linking it with hope and positive resolve. He said even a small act of service, when multiplied through public participation, could contribute to wider social change.
The Thursday programme carried that message to a much larger public setting, with the State’s campaign seeking participation not only at organised venues but also from families lighting lamps in their homes.
Service Beyond the Celebration
The Seva Sankalp Abhiyan has been presented as more than a birthday observance. Activities envisaged during the month include cleanliness drives, environmental conservation, assistance to people in need and other forms of community service.
For Sai, the diya has been positioned as a symbol connecting individual participation with that wider idea of service.
His appeal has emphasised that citizens need not undertake extraordinary acts to contribute: helping someone in need, keeping surroundings clean, caring for a sapling or supporting a local artisan can also become meaningful expressions of public service.
The Telibandha event therefore brought together two strands of the campaign — a public expression of good wishes for the Prime Minister and the State government’s call for citizens to translate the occasion into community participation.
‘Aashirwad Ka Diya’ Lights Up Raipur: Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai participates in the Aashirwad Ka Diya programme at Marine Drive, Telibandha Talab, Raipur, on Thursday evening, September 17, 2026. The programme was organised as part of the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 76th birthday, carrying a message of service, public participation and commitment to a developed India. (Video: Official Live Broadcast/YouTube)
