Puri: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who is on a two-day visit to Odisha for various official programmes, collected soil from Biraharekrushnapur village, the native of great freedom fighter Jayee Rajguru, in Puri district.

Accompanied by union cabinet colleague Dharmendra Pradhan, BJP's national spokesperson Sambit Patra and other senior leaders, the union minister paid an official visit to Biraharekrushnapur village. She collected the soil from Rajguru's birthplace and put it in Amrit Kalash under 'Meri Maati Mera Desh' campaign.

publive-image Photo credit: @PIBBhubaneswar/Twitter

The source said that she will take the soil with her to Delhi.

In the morning, Sitharaman visited Puri Srimandir to have darshan of deities. She praised a sand art made by internationally acclaimed sand sculptor Sudarsan Pattnaik on the theme 'Meri Maati Mera Desh' at Blue Flag Beach in Puri town.

Later, she headed for Shri Sadashiv Campus near Penthakata in Puri to attend a plantation drive under the programme 'Meri Maati Mera Desh'.

Addressing the students, she highlighted on Panch Pran (five elements), described by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address to nation from Red Fort on occasion of 77th Independence Day celebrations on Tuesday.

The FM is in Odisha since yesterday. She arrived at Bhubaneswar airport at 7.55 pm on Wednesday. She attended a programme to pay tribute to former Cuttack Mayor late Nibedita Pradhan at BJP Party Office in Bhubaneswar. She headed for Puri at night for many programmes scheduled for today.