Bhubaneswar, 14 August (H.S.): Ahead of Independence Day, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan visited the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri on Thursday morning to offer prayers and extend his wishes for the well-being of the nation.

The minister climbed the sacred Baaisi Pahacha (22 steps) and performed rituals as per tradition, seeking blessings from Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra.

Following the temple visit, Pradhan held a courtesy meeting with senior BJP leaders from Puri district at a local hotel. During the interaction, discussions were held on various developmental initiatives for Puri, the region’s current political landscape, local issues, and the need to improve crowd management and the darshan system at the temple for devotees.

Key leaders present at the meeting included Puri BJP District President Dr. Debendra Nath Tarai, former MLA Jayant Kumar Sarangi, Satyabadi MLA Om Prakash Mishra, Pipili MLA Ashrit Pattnaik, youth leader Bhabani Das Mahapatra, former MLA Baidhar Malik, and several other prominent party functionaries.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda