NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Friday paid its condolence to the passing away of former PM Inder Kumar Gujral and declared seven-day state mourning as a mark of respect for the departed leader.
The national flag will fly half mast on all buildings and there will be no official entertainment during the seven days of state mourning, starting Friday and will be on till December 6.
Gujral will be given state funeral. His body will be cremated near Smriti Sthal here on Saturday at 3pm.
All Central government offices and Delhi government offices here will close at 1:30pm on Saturday to enable people to attend the funeral ceremony.
There will be condolence references made to him in both the Houses of Parliament on Monday.
The Cabinet, which held special meeting to mourn the demise of the former PM, also passed a resolution placing on record "its deep sense of grief" and extended its "sincere condolences on behalf of the entire nation to the bereaved family".
The resolution says, "The Cabinet expresses profound sorrow at the sad demise of Inder Kumar Gujral, the former Prime Minister of India, on November 30. In his death, India has lost a great patriot, a visionary leader and a freedom fighter.
"Gujral actively participated in the freedom struggle and was imprisoned during the Quit India Movement. As a distinguished diplomat, he served as Ambassador of India to the erstwhile U S S R. and Special Envoy of India to a number of countries. Gujral was an esteemed Member of Parliament in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.
"Before assuming the office of the Prime Minister of India on April 21, 1997, Gujral held various ministerial positions as Minister of External Affairs; Minister of Water Resources; Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs & Communications and Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting and Communications.
Born on December 4, 1919, at Jhelum in undivided Punjab into a family of freedom fighters, Gujral was an erudite scholar, an eminent intellectual and a well respected commentator on national and international affairs".
Cabinet condoles Gujral's death, declares 7-day state mourning
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Cabinet condoles Gujral's death, declares 7-day state mourning
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Cabinet condoles Gujral's death, declares 7-day state mourning
