Chandigarh, October 29- To further strengthen the diplomatic and bilateral ties between Haryana and Africa, the first day of the two-day 'Haryana-Africa Conclave, Series-I' began on October 28, 2021 A cultural programme followed by dinner was organized in Panchkula by the Haryana Government.
During this, Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal had dinner with the representatives of African nations and said that it is a matter of pride for the State that Haryana is the first in the country to organize such a conclave.
The representatives of African nations also expressed special gratitude to the Chief Minister and said that they feel very happy to be in Haryana and they will definitely move forward in the direction of mutual cooperation in various fields with the Haryana Government.
Sh. Manohar Lal invited the delegation to be the partner country in the International Crafts Mela, Surajkund to be held next year. Apart from this, he also invited them for International Geeta Jayanti Mahotsav to be held in Kurukshetra every year. Describing the importance of Kurukshetra, the Chief Minister said that Lord Krishna had given the divine message of Gita to Arjuna during the war of Mahabharata on this land.
The Chief Minister said that the Central Government has also appreciated Haryana's initiative to organize such conclaves. In the various sessions to be held in the conclave, discussions will be held in detail for mutual cooperation in various fields.
In the cultural programme, folk dances from the states of Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir were presented by North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala (NZCC). Impressed by the folk dance performed by various teams, the Chief Minister announced a cash reward of Rs. 11,000 each for the seven teams. The visiting guests from African countries thoroughly enjoyed the cultural folk dance and praised the artists. The visiting guests also gave a special performance. Sh. Manohar Lal also announced a reward of Rs.11,000 for them.
Organized by the Haryana Foreign Cooperation Department under the aegis of Haryana Government in consultation with the Union Ministry of External Affairs under the title 'Transforming Haryana through a Go Global Approach', the conclave was attended by 12 African nations namely Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Madagascar, Nigeria. Ambassadors and senior embassy officials from Eritrea, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Senegal, Kenya, Ethiopia and Ghana and ministers and high officers of Haryana participated.
On this occasion, Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Sh. DS Dhesi, Additional Chief Secretary and Finance Commissioner, Haryana Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Sh. Sanjeev Kaushal, Principal Secretary, Foreign Cooperation Department, Sh Yogendra Chaudhary, Director General, Foreign Cooperation Department, Dr. Anant Prakash Pandey, Adviser, Foreign Cooperation Department, Sh. Pawan Chaudhary, Joint Director (Administration), Haryana Information, Public Relations and Languages Department, Sh. Aman Kumar along with other officers and dignitaries were present.