New Delhi, Mar 13 (UNI) The government has constituted a 71-member National Committee, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, to commemorate the 150th year of First War of Independence, 1857, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

In a written reply, Culture and Tourism Minister Ambika Soni said the National Committee would chalk out the programmes for commemorating the event in a befitting manner.

The minister said an 18-member National Implementation Committee, under the chairmanship of Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh, had also been constituted for implementation of the programmes.

She said noted historian Romila Thapar and Ram Chand Guha were included in the National Committee while former ICHR Chairman Satish Chandra and Delhi University academician Nayanjot Lahiri were included in the National Implementation Committee.

Prof Thapar and Ms Lahiri had subsequently resigned, she informed.

The National Committee includes former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee, I K Gujral, Chandra Shekhar, H D Deve Gowda and V P Singh, besides UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, BJP leader L K Advani, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, HRD Minister Arjun Singh, Culture Minister Ambika Soni, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

In addition, Governors of Haryana, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Kerala and West Bengal, chief minister of several states and leaders of various political parties have also been included in this committee.

The National Implementation Committee members include film personalities Javed Akhtar, Ashutosh Gowarikar and Nayanjot Lahiri, besides the Culture Minister and Culture Secretary.

UNI