New Delhi, Jan 22, 2017: For the first time in the country, a socio-cultural and economic body, Mithilalok Foundation, will celebrate the birth anniversary of former Railway Minister Lalit Narayan Mishra on February 2, it was announced on Sunday.

"Lalit Divas will be held on February 2 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Lalit Narayan Mishra, a legendary icon of development in the Mithila region. His contribution to Mithilanchal has been immense," said Birbal Jha, Chairman of the Mithilalok Foundation.

He has appealed to the people to commemorate the day in recognition of the long-term development works done by Mishra.

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Mishra was born on February 2, 1923.

On January 2, Mishra had gone to Samastipur to declare open the Samastipur-Muzaffarpur broad-gauge railway line, but a bomb explosion on the dais seriously injured him. He was rushed to the railway hospital in Danapur where he died the next day.

After 39 years of trial, four followers of Hindu sect Anand Marg were held guilty by a Delhi court and were sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2014.

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"Even after over four decades of his untimely death, people especially from Mithila belt remember him for his contribution to the socio-cultural and economic development.

"While they still feel indebted to Lalit Babu for connecting people through rail lines during his tenure as the Railway Minister, nobody can forget his role in preserving and propagating the globally-recognised Mithila Painting (also known popularly as Madhubani Painting)," the Foundation said.

Mithilalok Foundation is a social enterprise dedicated to advancing the larger cause of Mithila. (IANS)