PURI: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her Education counterpart Dharmendra Pradhan honoured the families of martyrs and freedom fighters at a function held on the campus of Central Sanskrit University here on Thursday.
Addressing the event as part of the nationwide ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ initiative, Sitharaman urged students to follow the footprints of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the nation. She also advised them to shed the colonial mindset, work for national integration, observe the nation’s culture and work dedicatedly for development of the country.
She administered ‘Panchprana’ oath formulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to students on the occasion. The union minister also participated in a mass plantation programme. Hundreds of students of Saraswati Vidya Mandir participated in the event.
Later, Sitharaman visited Biraharekrushnapur village on the outskirts of Puri and paid tributes to freedom fighter Jayee Rajguru. President of Jayee Rajguru Smriti Committee Jatadhari Mishra submitted a letter to the union minister over the martyr memorial.
Sitharaman was accompanied by Pradhan, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, Puri MLA Jayant Kumar Sarangi and Brahmagiri legislator LB Mahapatra.
Sitharaman and Pradhan arrived in Puri on Wednesday night and had darshan of the Trinity in Sri Jagannath temple on Thursday morning. The Shree Jagannath Temple administration (SJTA) had made elaborate arrangements for the visit of the two union ministers. The SJTA presented the holy Khandua cloth and a photo of the Trinity to Sitharaman.
On the day, Sitharaman also visited Raghurajpur, the heritage crafts village in Puri and interacted with local craftsmen and artisans.