Bhubaneswar, Sept. 18 (UDN): Odisha marked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 76th birthday on Thursday with a statewide lamp-lighting programme, with the government saying more than one crore traditional lamps were lit across all 30 districts.
The event, organised as part of the Aashirbadara Deepa initiative, was held alongside the launch of the month-long Seva Sankalpa Abhiyan-2026.
11,000 lamps lit at Mukteswara Temple
The main programme was organised at the historic Mukteswara Temple in Bhubaneswar, where more than 11,000 lamps were lit in the temple premises.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi participated in the programme and offered prayers for the Prime Minister’s health and long life. Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari, Ekamra MLA Babu Singh and Brahmagiri MLA Upasana Mohapatra also joined the ceremony.
Women, including members of self-help groups and beneficiaries of the Subhadra scheme, took part in the lamp-lighting programme.
Majhi also interacted with young participants during the event.
Addressing the media, the Chief Minister extended birthday greetings to Modi and said the lamp-lighting programme represented the blessings and good wishes of people across Odisha.
Programme held across 30 districts
According to officials, the Aashirbadara Deepa programme was conducted across all 30 districts, with families encouraged to light lamps at their homes.
Collective programmes were also organised at gram panchayat, block and district levels. Temples and other community spaces participated in the celebrations, with traditional jhoti chita artwork forming part of several programmes.
Members of Mission Shakti self-help groups and Subhadra beneficiaries were among those involved in the district-level activities.
Seva Sankalpa Abhiyan to continue
The lamp-lighting programme marked the beginning of the wider Seva Sankalpa Abhiyan-2026, which is scheduled to continue for a month.
The campaign will focus on a range of service-oriented activities and public programmes across the state.
The government said the initiative was intended to combine the birthday observance with community participation and service activities.
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