Rs. 100 coin in memory of Shastri
NEW DELHI: The yearlong birth centenary celebrations of the second Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri drew to a close on Tuesday with the release of two commemorative coins in the denomination of Rs. 100 and Rs. 5.
Released by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a function organised by the Culture Ministry, only the Rs. 5 coin will be in circulation.
Addressing the function, Dr. Singh said centenary celebrations should not be merely occasions for making speeches and eulogising the departed. "They should be occasions for introspection.'' Listing the steps taken by the Government over the past year to commemorate Shastri, he said: "I am sure all these programmes have made a new generation of our citizens appreciate the personality of Shastriji and his enormous contributions to our nation.''
Stressing the need to record the contribution of the great leaders of Indian history so that it inspires future generations, he said: "Every citizen of our country must know what sacrifices were made by our leaders to attain Independence. Every student must know how our Republic was built brick by brick to create this magnificent edifice of a new, resurgent India.''
Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said Shastri embodied high thinking and simple living. Recalling how he filled the void created by the death of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Minister said the Rs. 5 commemorative coin would be available at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial in the Capital from Wednesday.
The Rs. 100 coin, he said, would be available on order.
Union Culture Minister S. Jaipal Reddy said though curtains were being dropped on the yearlong celebrations, the programmes that were planned for the year but not completed would be undertaken; budgetary constraints notwithstanding.