New Delhi: With a number of events lined up across the nation, India is celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi today.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has extended its Gandhi Sankalp Yatra by a period of three months, according to a circular issued to the party leaders. 

As per the circular sent to the leaders, the Yatra will now be a 120-day exercise and will end on January 31, 2020, instead of October. Earlier, it was scheduled to be held between October 2 and 31.

Under this, the BJP is planning to propagate Gandhi's ideals and principles of non-violence, Swaraj and simplicity to mark his 150th birth anniversary. Posters, banners and kits for the programs to be held during the yatra will be directly sent to the state units from the party headquarters.

According to the circular, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick-off this programme from Gujarat, simultaneously, with the other top leaders from the party who will start it from the BJP headquarters in New Delhi. All the party's Lok Sabha MPs have been instructed to be in their respective constituencies on October 2 for the start of the program.

Prime Minister Modi will visit Sabarmati Ashram and participate in Swachh Bharat Diwas 2019 program, according to a post on the official Twitter handle of BJP.

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that India has almost achieved the open defecation free (ODF) target and hoped that Prime Minister will declare India open defecation free today.

On Tuesday, President Ram Nath Kovind said that the people of India have paid homage to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, by taking up the Swachh Bharat Mission as a movement.

Several photo exhibitions have been organised in different cities to mark Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary.