Chandigarh [India], March 6 (ANI/PRNewswire): Holi is a symbol of harmony, brotherhood, and unity and is celebrated with great fervor across the country especially by the people of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The City of Chandigarh has a significant population belonging to purvanchal region and with a mission to make the residents of Chandigarh who have migrated from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, feel home away from their home, Chandigarh Welfare Trust and Purvanchal Welfare Association, Chandigarh organized 26th Holi Milan Samaroh at Dussehra Maidan Sector 43, Chandigarh. The theme of the Holi Milan Samaroh this year was to promote Awareness against Drugs and Alcohol Abuse. The chief guest of the event was Kaushal Kishore, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. Satnam Singh Sandhu, Founder Chandigarh Welfare Trust and Chancellor Chandigarh University; Arun Sood, BJP President Chandigarh; Prof. Himani Sood, Senior Vice President Chandigarh University; Satyadev Pandey, Secretary Purvanchal Welfare Association; Santosh Paswan, Nasha Mukt Samaaj Kaushal Ka State Incharge Haryana; and Chirag Aggarwal, Nasha Mukt Samaaj Kaushal Ka State Incharge Chandigarh were also present on the occasion. MD Desi Rockstar, Haryanvi Actor and Singer; Nisha Pandey, Bhojpuri Singer; and Neha Yadav, Bhojpuri Singer set the celebration mood right with their special performances on Bhojpuri songs. The samaroh was attended by about 5000 people. While addressing the gathering, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore said, "Addiction to drugs and alcohol always leads to harmful effects, yet people keep getting involved into it, especially the youth but its their families who have to bear the consequences. As a result, the number of applicants from Northern states of India has significantly dropped in the Defense sector. Every year, about 13.92 lakh people lose their lives due to the excessive consumption of alcohol and drugs." He further added, "With a strong initiative to combat the menace of drug addiction among the youth and its consequences, Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan has been launched. However, its only possible if the Indian youth promises to not consume alcohol and drugs. Every citizen of India must take an oath to waive off alcohol and drugs to adopt a healthy lifestyle and help India become drug-free and self-sufficient nation." He further appealed crowd to participate in the Nasha Mukt Holi Deep Yatra and spread awareness about the consequences of drugs. In addition to this, Kishore Kaushal urged people to shun harmful colours and chemicals & celebrate the Holi festival with organic colours. Speaking of the occasion, Secretary Purvanchal Welfare Association Satyadev Pandey said, "Holi is the most significant festival of Purvanchal, which not only adds colours of joy but also celebrates new crop of the new year. Purvanchal Welfare Association celebrates this festival every year with great enthusiasm, especially for the people belonging to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar who are living in Chandigarh. The essence of Holi has been damaged due to the use of chemical colours leading to hazardous effects, so the theme of this year's Holi Milan Samorah was to promote drug-free and chemical-free celebration with flowers and organic colours (Abir)." During his address at the Holi Milan Samaroh, Founder CWT and Chancellor Chandigarh University Satnam Singh Sandhu said, "Chandigarh Welfare Trust works seamlessly for the welfare of the residents of Chandigarh, and Holi Milan Samaroh is yet another such effort by the Trust for the people from Purvanchal who have contributed significantly to the progress of City Beautiful. The Trust is highly grateful for the contributions of Purvanchalis, and the least we could do is make this festival special for them as they celebrate it away from their homes. Since Holi symbolizes unity, love, happiness, and victory over evil, let us all pledge to celebrate it in bright and attractive colors to express our happiness and love towards each other." Attired in their colourful outfits, people from Purvanchal danced their hearts out on traditional Bhojpuri beats. The gathering at the Samaroh grooved to songs sung by MD Desi Rockstar, Nisha Pandey and Neha Yadav. Bhojpuri singer Nisha Pandey also released her upcoming song on the occasion to spread awareness against the usage of drugs and alcohol. Chandigarh University is a NAAC A+ Grade University and QS World Ranked University. This autonomous educational institution is approved by UGC and is located near Chandigarh in the state of Punjab. It is the youngest university in India and the only private university in Punjab to be honoured with A+ Grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council). CU offers more than 109 UG and PG programs in the field of engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, commerce, and others. It has been awarded as The University with Best Placements by WCRC. Chandigarh Welfare Trust is a Not for Profit organization (NGO) established by the Chancellor of Chandigarh University. Under the aegis of Chandigarh University, it is working for the welfare of Chandigarh residents and the development of the city. http://www.chandigarhwelfaretrust.com/ Website: www.cuchd.in This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire)