Lavi Fair begins amid fears of sluggish trade

Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 11

Amid the fear of the demonetisation casting its shadow on trade, Governor Acharya Devvrat today inaugurated the four-day International Lavi Fair at Rampur in Shimla district today.

The Governor said the state was known for its rich culture, customs and traditions and it was evident from the fact that the people celebrated the religious and traditional festivities with great enthusiasm and fervour. He said the fair had its own historical importance and was famous not only for trading activities, but also for its age-old traditions.

He said the fair was important in terms of trade between India and Tibet for centuries and was a unique example of the glorious, social, cultural and economic ties. He hoped that all folk artists of the district and other areas of the state would enthrall the audience with their performances and leave an impression on the younger generation about the importance of socio-cultural and ethical values preserved by the hill people.

Devvrat stressed the need for retaining the beauty of “Devbhoomi” by keeping the surroundings clean and underlined the need for aggressive cleanliness campaigns. “Global warming is posing a serious challenge to the environment and effective steps must be taken to prevent any ecological degradation,” he said.

Every section of society should be treated equally without any discrimination, he said. The Governor urged the people to come forward and eradicate social evils as every section was playing an important and equal role in the development of society.

Devvrat said women should be given respect and offered equal opportunities. There should be no discrimination. “The declining sex ratio is a cause of concern and all sections of society must come forward to eradicate female foeticide,” he remarked. He also expressed concern over drug abuse, adding that the youth should engage themselves in acquiring knowledge, social work and mainstream activities.

Devvrat urged the people to adopt zero-budget farming. He said the number of diseases had increased due to excessive use of chemical farming. “Farmers should be encouraged to rear domestic cow instead of hybrid one imported from abroad as the cows found in hilly areas are significant in many ways,” he said. The Governor also inaugurated the ‘Kinnauri market’ and an exhibition.