Former Puducherry CM Goubert remembered

Puducherry July 29 (PTI) Puducherry Assembly Speaker R Selvam and Ministers K Lakshminarayanan and Sai J Saravanan Kumar paid floral tributes to a statue of former chief minister and veteran Congress leader of the union territory Edouard on his 130th birth anniversary here on Monday.

Legislators and delegates of various organisations were among those who paid tribute to the leader.

Goubert was the first chief minister of Puducherry after it became free from French regime in 1962. He was also Mayor of Puducherry Municipality and was a fearless leader who initiated several measures to uplift the lot of the poor.

He was popularly known as 'Papa (father) Goubert' and was a philanthropist. He was adept in the French language and believed in simple administration. He was an easily accessible chief minister.

Goubert initiated steps to set up a Central Medical College -JIPMER- named after Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of free India. He had a close rapport with Nehru. PTI COR KH