Balrampur: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath offered prayers at the Maa Pateshwari Temple in Tulsipur, Balrampur, on the first day of Sharadiya Navratri, seeking the well-being, prosperity and good health of the people of the state.
The Chief Minister, who is also the head of the Gorakshpeeth, bowed before the deity, performed the aarti and participated in the rituals on Sunday morning. He later interacted with devotees and reviewed arrangements at the temple complex.
Emphasising the importance of public convenience during the Navratri and Dussehra festivities, Yogi directed the district administration, police and temple authorities to ensure adequate security, cleanliness and facilities for devotees. He stressed that visitors arriving from different parts of the country and the state should not face inconvenience or disorder.
The Chief Minister also visited the temple’s cowshed and performed gau seva by feeding the cattle jaggery and green fodder. He interacted with local residents, public representatives and saints. Mahant Mithilesh Nath Yogi was also present.
During his visit, Yogi participated in several initiatives focused on education, sports and agriculture. He honoured girls representing the divine feminine by presenting them with traditional scarves and distributed study tables, chocolates and educational materials to children from government schools under the Shiksha Ki Udaan initiative.
The Chief Minister also felicitated players who had won medals or participated in national and state-level competitions, presenting them with awards and tracksuits in recognition of their sporting achievements.
Among the athletes honoured were Kanchan, who secured first place in the long jump at the 36th North Zone Junior Athletics Competition in Prayagraj; Prachi Jain, who won silver in a state-level judo competition in Lucknow; and Sandhya Yadav and Mamta, who won bronze medals at the state-level School Games Judo Competition in Saharanpur. Other young athletes were recognised for their participation and achievements in taekwondo and other sporting events.
Yogi also inaugurated an agricultural fair and inspected an exhibition showcasing agricultural products and equipment. As part of the programme, he distributed farm machinery to beneficiaries, including keys to a Custom Hiring Centre for farmers Jag Narayan and Motilal Yadav. Power sprayers were presented to Sarveshwar Mani Tiwari, Dilip Kumar and Harish Kumar.
Students of Dharmapur Primary School—Gayatri, Priya and Jayshree—presented the Chief Minister with greeting cards, bouquets, a self-composed poem and a book.
Yogi had arrived in Balrampur on Saturday to attend programmes for the inauguration and foundation-laying of development projects. He stayed overnight at the Devipatan Temple complex before offering prayers at Maa Pateshwari Temple on the first day of Navratri.
