Union Petroleum & Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has urged Union Tourism & Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma for identification of a place at the Barunei Fort in Khordha for establishment of a Paika Rebellion memorial.
In a letter to Sharma, Pradhan has requested him to send a team from the Ministry of Culture to identify a suitable site at the fort in coordination with the Government of Odisha for erection of the proposed memorial to commemorate the Paika Rebellion.
Notably, the Barunei Fort was the seat of power of the Gajapati Kings of Khordha and the epicentre of the Paika Rebellion.
It may be recalled that the bicentenary celebration of the Paika Rebellion was inaugurated by the then President Pranab Mukherjee at the Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on July 20 this year.This will be a year-long activity of the Government of India as pronounced in the Budget Speech of the Union Finance Minister.