PM greets nation on Baisakhi, Vishu and Bihu

New Delhi, April 12 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday greeted the nation on the occasion of the traditional harvest festivals Baisakhi, Vishu and Bihu.

The prime minister said in his message that these traditional new year festivals coinciding with the harvest were an occasion to rejoice over the fruits of the hard work of our farmers.

'They are not only an occasion to celebrate the harvest but also a time to mark a new beginning,' he said in a statement issued here.

'May these festivals usher in prosperity and happiness for all,' he said, a day ahead of Baisakhi.

Baisakhi is celebrated mainly in Punjab, Vishu in Kerala and Rongali Bihu, being celebrated Saturday, in Assam. The festivals also mark the beginning of the Hindu solar new year.