Gaya: Gaya district celebrated its 162nd foundation day at a function organised at the tent city at Gandhi Maidan on Saturday evening. Union MSME minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and Bihar assembly Speaker Prem Kumar lit 162 candles, followed by a cake-cutting ceremony.Students who participated in the ‘Paint the City’ initiative during this year’s Pitripaksh Mela and created murals depicting the history and significance of pind daan were felicitated on the occasion.Manjhi said Gaya was witnessing development in various sectors through efforts by the Centre and state govts. He praised the district administration for its arrangements during the Pitripaksh Mela, saying the event was strengthening Gaya’s religious and cultural identity nationally and internationally.Kumar said, “Gaya was an important centre of India’s spiritual, cultural and historical heritage,” and stressed the need to balance heritage conservation with modern development. He also called for collective efforts to make Gaya cleaner, safer and more developed.
