Bhubaneswar, Oct 27 : Amid blowing of conches, bells, and mahuri, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday launched the “Mati Kalas Yatra” on the occasion of the state-level Meri Mati Mere Desh programme.
An Amrit Batika will be developed in New Delhi from the sacred “Mati “collected from each panchayat and each state of the country.
Union Minister of Education and Skill Development Dharmendra Pradhan will flag off the Amrit Kalash Special train from Bhubaneswar railway station on October 28 that will run from Bhubaneswar to New Delhi.
The train will facilitate the transportation of participants involved in the ‘Meri Mati Mera Desh’ campaign to the national capital.
Speaking at a function organised here,, the Chief Minister said the India of today is the contribution of martyrs and freedom fighters who will remain in the heart of countrymen for all times to come.
Paying tribute to the countless martyrs and freedom fighters, Patnaik said many people from Odisha have sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the country.
The Kalas Yatra organised in honour of the heroes of the soil would give us inspiration to work for the unity and sovereignty of the country.
Thanking the Prime Minister for conceptualising such a noble programme, the Chief Minister said the Amrita Batika developed with the collection of sacred Mati from different places of the country will be a place of pilgrimage for every Indian in the coming days.
The Chief Minister said the Amrit Batika will enliven the patriotism in every Indian and will apprise the next generation about the sacrifice of the freedom fighters.
He said the programme will further brighten the history of our freedom struggle and will give the inspiration to build a new Odisha and a new Bharat.
The Amrit Kalas Yatra special train will leave Bhubaneswar at 10 AM on October 28 and reach the Anand Vihar Terminal, New Delhi at 2-30 PM on October 29.
The ‘Amrit Kalash Yatra’ serves as a tribute to the national heroes who devoted their lives to the nation.
The ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ (MMMD) campaign was to pay tribute to the Army Bravehearts who sacrificed their lives for the nation.
As part of the initiatives, sacred soil and rice collected from households across the nation have been carefully kept in the Amrit Kalash Containers.
These materials will play a vital role in the creation of the ‘Amrit Vatika’ and the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ memories at the Kartavya Path near India Gate in New Delhi.
