Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. Wikimedia Commons
Antyodaya Diwas is celebrated every year on 25 September to mark the birth anniversary of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ideologue Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. Pandit Deendayal was born on 25 September, 1916 in Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh.
He was an economist, journalist, humanist, philosopher and political activist. Antyodaya Diwas became a day of national importance in 2014 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated it to honour Pandit Deendayal by marking his birth anniversary.
The word Antyodaya means the upliftment of the poorest of the poor. This day marks the significance of helping the youth of rural India by providing them national and international opportunities of employment.
History:
Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya has been a source of ideological and moral guidance for BJP since its establishment. He breathed his last under mysterious circumstances near Mughalsarai railway station in February, 1968. The Uttar Pradesh government renamed the railway station as “Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction” in 2018.
On 25 September, 2014, the skill development programme Aajeevika Skills – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) was relaunched by the Ministry of Rural Development. The programme was renamed as Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- NRLM in November, 2015.
Significance:
To raise awareness about the concept of integral humanism, which used to be followed by Pandit Deendayal, activities like seminars, blood donation camps, and symposia are held on this day. Also, the Ministry of Rural Development felicitates the skill development programmes like Rural Self Employment Training Institute.
Some significant facts about Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya:
Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s parents died when he was 8 years old and he was raised by his maternal uncle.
His classmate Baluji Mahashabde introduced him to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
He launched a monthly journal ‘Rashtra Dharma’ in 1940s from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh to spread the ideology of Hindutva nationalism.
Later, he also started the weekly magazine ‘Panchjanya’ and a daily magazine ‘Swadesh’.
Pandit Deendayal had cleared the civil service examination, but instead of joining the service, he became a volunteer for RSS.
BJP and Jan Sangh adopted his ideology of integral humanism as an official doctrine in 1965.
He was an advocate of sustainable consumption, and he was against the exploitation of nature practised by the western capitalist societies.
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