Declaring November 26 as the Constitution Day, the government has lined up a host of activities on Thursday to pay tribute to B R Ambedkar, including a "special" session of Parliament in which lawmakers will pay tribute to one of the key framers of the Constitution.
"The ministry of Parliamentary Affairs has decided to illuminate Parliament House Complex on the occasion of Constitution Day and has also decided to call a special session of Parliament for this purpose," an official statement said.
The government has asked officials to read out the preamble of the Constitution on November 26, government sources said. The Constitution was adopted on this day in 1949 before it came into force on January 26, 1950.
The Constitution Day events will be a part of the year-long nationwide celebrations to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar, the Dalit icon.
This will be a tribute to Ambedkar who played a seminal role in the framing of the Indian Constitution as the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of Constituent Assembly, the statement said.
The events have political significance too as ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is working overtime to woo Dalits, a politically crucial constituency. HRD, Home, External Affairs are among the ministries which have lined up a number of events for the day.
Colleges have been urged to organise mock Parliament sessions and debates on the Constitution on November 26. Schools have been asked to ensure that students should read out the Preamble to the Constitution in school assembly on the day, the statement said.
"One period to be devoted on November 26 for a talk on the salient features of the Constitution of India and its making, by a guest speaker or one of the teachers... Essay competitions and quizzes to be organised on the theme of the Constitution," it said, listing the instructions given to schools.
The Social Justice and Empowerment ministry has requested to states and union territories to celebrate it as well, it said.