Vivekananda`s 150th birth anniversary celebrations to end Sunday

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be the chief guest at the closing ceremony of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Swami Vivekananda here Sunday.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Defence Minister AK Antony and Culture Minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch will also be present on the occasion at Vigyan Bhawan. A national committee under the chairmanship of the prime minister was formed in 2010 to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. "A National Implementation Committee (NIC) was constituted in July, 2010, and it approved proposals involving an estimated expenditure of Rs 252.45 crore for propagating the teachings and legacy of Swami Vivekananda," an official source said. "An allocation of Rs 70 crore has been made for the commemoration ceremony," he added. The celebrations had begun Jan 12, 2013, when commemorative postage stamps and coins were released.