By Our Correspondent
DHENKANAL/BHUBANESWAR:Sambalpur MP and former Union Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday celebrated Independence Day and hoisted the national flag at Jharbahal SSD High School campus in Barkot block of Deogarh district.
Greeting the nation on Independence Day, Shri Pradhan described the national flag, the tricolour, as a living symbol of India’s unity, diversity and pride. On this occasion, he interacted with talented students from the Pauri Bhuyan (PVTG) and Munda communities of Deogarh, Angul, Keonjhar and Sundargarh districts. Addressing the students, Shri Pradhan said, “These soft-spoken talents from rural and tribal lands are the foundation of tomorrow’s New India. The high aspirations, dreams and courage in their eyes are truly inspiring. The determination they have in their minds to not only find a job, but also to become self-reliant and employ others, shows the true development of education. The development of tribal education and the organizational empowerment of these children are our priorities.”
Recalling the history of Deogarh, he said that the age-old contribution of Maharaja Basudev Sudhal Deb and Sachidananda Tribhuvan Deb in the education and development of Deogarh is unparalleled. Similarly, we have achieved freedom through the sacrifices and renunciations of great fighters like Veer Surendra Sai, Bhagwan Birsa Munda, Jai Rajguru, Laxman Nayak, Bakshi Jagabandhu and Shaheed Baji Rout. Referring to the ‘Developed India’ challenge of the esteemed Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, Shri Pradhan said that while 2036 will mark 100 years of the formation of Odisha province, 2047 will mark the centenary of independence. Therefore, the next 15 to 20 years are the most important period of our lives. Odisha has to be developed for a developed India. He said that these tender-minded students will lead the front line in the creation of a prosperous Deogarh, a developed Odisha and a strong India in the coming days.
Earlier, Shri Pradhan participated in the ‘Tricolor Yatra’ organized at Barakot Jharbahal. At Deogarh, he paid homage by garlanding the statues of ‘Dharti Aba’ Bhagwan Birsa Munda and Bharat Ratna Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution. He expressed that the unparalleled contribution and sacrifice of these great leaders for the freedom, social justice and unity of the motherland will always inspire.
