Panchkula: Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki on Tuesday cautioned people against the threats of terrorism and called for united efforts by every citizen to defeat anti-national forces.

Panchkula: Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki on Tuesday cautioned people against the threats of terrorism and called for united efforts by every citizen to defeat anti-national forces.

The people in the country celebrate various festivals in their own way, but Independence Day is celebrated without any discrimination of religion, caste, creed and language, he said after unfurling the national flag at a state-level function at Panchkula.

Recalling the supreme sacrifices made by freedom fighters, martyrs and soldiers, he said it is our duty to give due respect to their families. The state government is giving many special benefits to the families of martyrs and their dependents so that they could lead a respectable life, he said.

The governor said it had been decided that like the freedom fighters, the last rites of their wives would also be performed with full state honours. The government has also raised the financial assistance being given to the family members of the armed forces personnel who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty to Rs 50 lakh, Solanki said.

“Today, we can face the challenges of the era of globalisation only if we are united and engaged in protecting the nation,” he said.

It is a matter of pride that campaigns like ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’, ‘Swachh Bharat’, ‘Ek Bharat-Shresth Bharat’, ‘Make in India’, ‘Skill India’, ‘Digital India’ and ‘Stand Up India’ were going on to enable the country face new challenges, he said, and called upon the people to contribute to make India a superpower of the 21st century.

Solanki said Haryana had become the leading state in per capita income, industrial production, foreign investment, education, sports, agriculture and transport.

“Growth rate of GDP in the state is higher than the national average. It is growing at a rate of more than seven per cent every year. Here, 33 per cent of the country’s two-wheelers, 50 per cent cars and 52 per cent cranes are manufactured. The government’s enterprise promotion policy is an attempt to make the Prime Minister’s ‘Make in India’ campaign successful,” he said.