Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister for Education, Government of India, joined the Mo Mati Mo Desh Abhiyan at Barunei foothills of Khurda district. At the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar, the minister administered the Panch Pran pledge to students, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
The minister urged the youth to come up with new traditions of knowledge and help the country touch new heights.
After visiting the historic Khurdagarh and paying his tributes to the Shaheed Memorial at the foothills of Barunei, Minister Pradhan collected soil from there and cycled to the IIT campus. A memorial plaque and a tree was planted with students as a hat tip to freedom fighters who fought for the freedom of the country.
Students from other educational institutions formed the map of India by arranging themselves in a human chain. Minister Pradhan administered the oath to students and urged them to make India self-reliant and a developed nation by 2047. "In today's knowledge-based era, we need to resolve to create a new tradition of knowledge and take the country to new heights," he said.
The minister spoke to the director and faculty members of IIT Bhubaneswar and other educational institutes as well. He reviewed the development work and visited the proposed sites for research park, student hostels and other amenities.
