Miscellaneous News

Sadbhavana Divas 2026 – August 20

August 23 , 2026 10 hrs 0 min 31 0

Sadbhavana Diwas is observed to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and promote national integration, communal harmony, peace and goodwill.
Rajiv Gandhi was born on 20 August 1944 in Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra.
He was the son of Indira Gandhi and grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru.
He became Prime Minister on 31 October 1984 after the assassination of Indira Gandhi and served until 2 December 1989.
At the age of 40, Rajiv Gandhi became the youngest Prime Minister of India.
Before entering politics, he worked as a commercial pilot with Indian Airlines.
The National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986, was introduced during his tenure to improve access to and the quality of education.
The Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) system was introduced in 1986 to provide quality education, particularly to talented students from rural areas.
The 52nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1985 introduced the Anti-Defection Law and added the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution.
The 61st Constitutional Amendment Act, 1988 reduced the voting age from 21 to 18 years, increasing the participation of young people in elections.
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) was established in 1986 during his tenure to provide telecommunications services in Delhi and Mumbai.
He was assassinated on 21 May 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu during an election campaign.
He was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, in 1991.
Sadbhavana Diwas highlights the values of emotional unity, communal harmony, peaceful coexistence and resolving differences through dialogue and constitutional means.