Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], February 13 (ANI): On the eve of Basant Panchami, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami extended greetings to the people.

The Chief Minister said, "On the occasion of Basant Panchami, we worship Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and wisdom."

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"The festival gives the message of staying close to natural beauty and tells us about the transmission of new energy," he added further.

Ahead of Basant Panchami, preparations are underway all across the country.

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People in Assam are readily buying the idols of Goddess Saraswati.

Preparations are underway in the state of Punjab as well.

"It is one of the main festivals of Punjab. We have come to buy kites. I feel very excited. We wake up early in the morning and fly kites till evening," said Lucky, a resident of Punjab.

Pappu Ram, a sculptor from Bihar's Muzaffarpur residing in Punjab's Jalandhar said, " I have been making Goddess Saraswati idols for 35 years. The weather was bad this time. I could not make more than 30-35 idols. All the idols were sold. The cost starts from Rs 5500 and can exceed Rs 60,000." (ANI)

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