Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath (Image credits: PTI)

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh chief ministerYogi Adityanath on Friday extended greetings to the people of the state ahead of the Chhath Mahaparv, and appealed to them to celebrate the festival with reverence for nature and a commitment to keeping rivers and water bodies clean.In a Hindi post on X, the chief minister described Chhath as an “incomparable festival of faith, tradition, and gratitude towards nature”.He said the festival carries a deep message of “respecting and conserving rivers and water reservoirs”, calling them the “arteries of our civilisation, which hold the memories of water”.Adityanath also said that his government remains committed to reviving and protecting the life-giving streams.“Since 2017, over 50 rivers have been rejuvenated in Uttar Pradesh. The revived flow of the Noon in Kanpur, Chhoti Gandak in Deoria, Matuka in Varanasi, and Peeli in Jaunpur bears testimony to our efforts,” the chief minister said.Highlighting the state’s ongoing river conservation drive, Adityanath added, “Under the ‘Ek Zila, Ek Nadi’ initiative, the government continues to make dedicated efforts to protect rivers. The Gomti Rejuvenation Mission will further strengthen the state’s cultural heritage.” The chief minister urged citizens to turn this into a public participation movement by taking a pledge to keep riverbanks and ghats clean during Chhath.“If rivers exist, we exist; without them, there is nothing,” he said, extending his best wishes to people for the festival.Chhath Mahaparv, primarily celebrated in eastern India, is a festival dedicated to the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya, symbolising gratitude for life-giving energy and a prayer for health, prosperity, and purity. The festival will be celebrated from October 25-28.