Accompanied by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, BJP’s national spokesperson Sambit Patra and other senior leaders, the Finance Minister visited Biraharekrushnapur and collected soil from the village. The soil was put in Amrit Kalash under ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ campaign.

Sitharaman also honoured the family members of martyrs and freedom fighters of the area in the presence of Dharmendra and other senior leaders. She was also seen touching the feet of elderly family members of freedom fighters.

Earlier, the Union Ministers took part in a plantation drive as part of ‘Meri Mati Mera Desh’ campaign launched by the Centre to pay tribute to individuals who sacrificed their lives for the nation.

In the morning, Sitharaman along with Dharmendra and other leaders visited Shree Jagannath temple at Puri and offered prayers in the 12th century shrine.

The Union Ministers also visited sand art on ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ installed by noted artist Sudarsan Pattnaik & his team at blue flag beach. Sitharaman praised the sand art created by the internationally acclaimed sand sculptor and his team.

She then visited the Shri Sadashiv Campus at Central Sanskrit University near Penthakata in Puri and attended a programme under ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ campaign.

On the sidelines of the G20FMCBG meetings, she will also participate in an Investor Dialogue Roundtable, a tax symposium, besides other bilateral engagements, including with Canada, Indonesia, US, European Commission and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

The meeting will discuss a range of issues related to global economy and international financial architecture.

Sitharaman and RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das will jointly chair the third G20 FMCBGs meeting.

The third meeting will mark the culmination of the work on many of the key deliverables from the G20 Finance Track in 2023 carried out under various work streams based on the mandate received during the first G20 FMCBG conclave held in February in Bengaluru, Ajay Seth, secretary, department of economic affairs, ministry of finance had said last week.