category Regional, chandigarh, , tags Regional, chandigarh, , DW BUREAU Chandigarh Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday called on the people of the state to follow the path shown by Guru Ravidas to rid the society of various maladies, an official statement said. The chief minister also said his government is following in the footsteps of Guru Ravidas to create an egalitarian society. Mann was addressing a gathering before flagging off a Shobha Yatra to mark the Parkash Utsav of Guru Ravidas, a poet-saint of the Bhakti Movement whose work critiqued the caste system. The teachings of Guru Ravidas are a lighthouse for the entire humanity. Guru Ravidas ji had shown the path of humanity to the entire world. These teachings can play a pivotal role in emancipating the society from the various problems facing it, he said. Following in the footsteps of Guru Ravidas, the state government is making strenuous efforts for carving out an egalitarian society and giving top priority to education and health sectors, he said. Schools of the state are being equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure and human resources so that quality education can be imparted to the students from weaker and underprivileged sections of society, he added. Mann further said, Poverty can be eradicated only by providing quality education to the students. The focus of this government is to ensure that the youth become job givers instead of job seekers. Targeting the previous state governments, the chief minister said they mercilessly looted the people for their vested political interests. Even the funds meant for the welfare of poor students under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme were looted, he said. However, every single penny looted by these leaders will be recovered from them, he said without elaborating. Mann appealed to the people to celebrate the Parkash Utsav of Guru Ravidas by rising above the parochial considerations of caste, creed, colour and religion. The life and teachings of Guru Ravidas will always inspire us to create a humane and just society, where every individual is given due dignity, regardless of his or her caste, creed, religion or gender. Mann said it is a matter of great pride for him to participate in various events related to gurus, martyrs, saints and seers, but he is surprised that at most of them, he is told that he is the first chief minister to attend. Those leaders who did not even have the time to participate in such events have now been shown the door by the people, he said. (editor dailyworld.in)