Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 2 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday attended the 'Namo Seva Ankahi Kahaniyan' programme organised under the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 25-year journey in public service reflected a combination of India's heritage, development and welfare.

Addressing the programme, Yogi Adityanath said the theatrical presentation based on 'Namo Seva Ankahi Kahaniyan' offered a glimpse into Prime Minister Modi's journey in public service.

He also paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversaries.

'Today is a very important day. A grateful nation is remembering the great hero of India's independence, Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, and India's second Prime Minister, the late Lal Bahadur Shastri, and paying them a humble tribute,' he said.

The Chief Minister said October 7 would mark 25 years of uninterrupted public service by Prime Minister Modi, who began his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister before later becoming the Prime Minister of India.

'These 25 years of uninterrupted, unwavering and steadfast journey is a remarkable and commendable journey of the finest combination of India's heritage and development, as well as taking the scheme of governance without discrimination to different sections of society for public welfare,' Yogi said.

He said various initiatives aimed at transforming the lives of youth, enhancing the dignity and self-reliance of women, bringing prosperity to farmers and improving the lives of the poor reflected the broader scope of government welfare programmes.

Yogi said India had acquired a new identity and presence before the world under Prime Minister Modi's leadership.

Recalling Modi's appointment as Gujarat Chief Minister on October 7, 2001, Yogi said the state was dealing with the aftermath of an earthquake and subsequently faced a major communal riot.

Referring to the period after 2014, Yogi said the government under Modi had focused on welfare schemes, infrastructure, startups, employment, agriculture and other sectors.

He highlighted schemes including Jan Dhan accounts, housing, toilets, Ujjwala, health insurance and free foodgrain support for the poor, while also referring to the development of highways, expressways, railways, metro systems and airports.

Yogi said the country had also witnessed growth in the startup ecosystem and expansion in educational and medical institutions during this period.

The Chief Minister said Prime Minister Modi's public service journey had focused on serving all sections of society without discrimination on the basis of caste, religion, region or language.

'Every work has been for the nation. Not on the basis of any individual, caste, creed, religion, region or language, but on the basis of 140 crore Indians,' he said.

Praising the artists of the Bharatendu Natya Akademi for the theatrical presentation, Yogi suggested that the play be staged across Uttar Pradesh.

He proposed that the production be taken to all 825 development blocks and 762 urban local bodies across the state.

Yogi also suggested incorporating regional languages, including Bhojpuri, Awadhi, Braj and Bundelkhandi, as well as local songs, into the presentation to make it more relatable to audiences in different parts of Uttar Pradesh.

'Every person's eyes are opened by this play. It expresses those facts which can be easily understood by everyone through the medium of theatre,' he added. (ANI)