Odisha Celebrates The Legend Biju Patnaik With Cycle Rally, Mini Marathon

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will inaugurate the World Skill Centre at Mancheswar industrial estate in Bhubaneswar on Friday to commemorate the 105th birth anniversary of Odisha’s legendary leader and former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik.

Meanwhile, members of Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD) and Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BYJD) took out a mass cycle rally from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar this morning.

Several party leaders, including Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain, MLAs Pranab Prakash Das,  Byomakesh Ray and Sushant Kumar Rout joined the rally, which started from Anand Bhawan in Cuttack and culminated near Bhubaneswar Airport.

Also Read: Grand Celebrations To Mark Panchayati Raj Day, Birth Anniversary of Biju Patnaik 

Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar also saw over 400 runners participating in the annual Biju Patnaik Mini Marathon organised by the Sports and Youth Services Department (DSYS).

The event was flagged off by Sports and Youth Services Minister Tusharkanti Behera hockey legend Dilip Tirkey, and Principal Secretary, Sports and Youth Services, Vishal K Dev.

“It is heartening to see the enthusiasm among the participants. Despite the pandemic phase, we wanted to host this annual event and keep the legacy going. It is also our way of promoting health and fitness and next year we are hoping to conduct it in its usual grand format,” said the minister.

Unlike previous editions, this year, the mini-marathon was closed to the public.

Sportspersons and officials associated with DSYS participated in the run in regulated clusters, following COVID-19 guidelines.

A cycle rally led by MLA Bikram Panda was also held in Berhampur.