Sixty years after its formation, Haryana marked its Diamond Jubilee on 1 November 2026 with a state ceremony on the sacred grounds of Kurukshetra — and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini opened the occasion by expressing deep gratitude to President Draupadi Murmu for gracing the landmark event.

In his post, CM Saini wrote: 'हरियाणा की हीरक जयंती के शुभारंभ अवसर पर धर्मक्षेत्र कुरुक्षेत्र की पावन धरा पर पधारकर प्रदेश का गौरव बढ़ाने के लिए माननीया राष्ट्रपति श्रीमती द्रौपदी मुर्मु जी का हृदय की गहराइयों से आभार।' — 'From the depths of my heart, I am grateful to the honourable President Smt. Draupadi Murmu for gracing the sacred land of Dharmakshetra Kurukshetra on the occasion of the launch of Haryana's Diamond Jubilee and for enhancing the pride of the state.' He added that the President's 'inspirational address has infused new energy in all of us to work even faster toward the resolve of a developed Haryana.'

Kurukshetra: where sixty years of statehood find their stage

Haryana was carved out as a separate state on 1 November 1966, when Punjab was bifurcated on linguistic lines. Sixty years on — a milestone called the Heerak Jayanti (Diamond Jubilee) — the state chose Kurukshetra, the Mahabharata's battlefield and one of India's most revered pilgrimage sites, as the ceremonial launchpad. The symbolism is deliberate: few places in the country carry as much weight for Haryana's cultural identity as this city.

The presence of President Murmu — the constitutional head of state — at a state-formation anniversary follows a well-established convention of conferring national recognition on such milestones. Her address, according to CM Saini, galvanised the assembled gathering around the goal of a 'developed Haryana.'

Diamond Jubilee and the Viksit Bharat framework

CM Saini's phrase 'developed Haryana' (Viksit Haryana) deliberately echoes the Centre's overarching Viksit Bharat vision — a long-term development framework targeting prosperity benchmarks at both national and state levels. By embedding the jubilee celebrations within that language, the state government positions the Haryana Heerak Jayanti not merely as a historical commemoration but as the public launch of a forward-looking agenda.

Further programmes under the Diamond Jubilee banner are expected to roll out across 2026, making today's Kurukshetra ceremony effectively the opening chapter of a year-long series of initiatives and milestones for the state.

Haryana turns sixty with a presidential blessing, a historic setting, and a government loudly committing to results — the next measure of that promise will be what the jubilee programmes actually deliver on the ground.