Chandigarh, Oct 4, 2010
ians, Photos by Gurinderjit Singh

The contribution of Punjabis and Sikhs to the British society and economy came in for praise Monday from Prince Charles during his visit to Chandigarh and Punjab.

The Prince of Wales, accompanied by his wife Camilla arrived here Monday afternoon for a one-day visit.

He later visited the organic farm of Punjab-based farmer Sukhchain Singh Gill at Hansali village in Fatehgarh Sahib district, 75 km from here.

The heir to the British throne interacted with the farmer and state agriculture officers and discussed methods of doing organic farming in Punjab. He has been promoting organic farming in Britain and other places.

At another function at the Punjab Raj Bhawan here, the Prince lauded the efforts of the Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST), a non-government organization set up in 1992, for transforming the lives of millions of persons from under privileged sections of the society into successful entrepreneurs.

Prince Charles said that the Punjabi diaspora in Great Britain had not only contributed to the society and economy there but also promoted global programmes initiated by him.

Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, attended separate functions at a leading private school, St Stephen's, and a centre for mentally challenged children here Monday.

The royal couple later reached Patiala where they will attend a dinner hosted by former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and his wife Preneet Kaur, the minister of state for external affairs.

Prince Charles and Camilla will stay overnight at the New Moti Bagh Palace of the erstwhile Patiala royal family.