Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], July 12 (ANI): Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday distributed 201 appointment letters to newly inducted personnel from seven central government departments during a Rozgar Mela event held at the Railway Auditorium in Bhubaneswar.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 16th edition of the Rozgar Mela via video conferencing and distributed over 51,000 appointment letters to newly recruited youth across various government departments and organisations.

The recruits, selected from different parts of the country, will be joining departments including the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Posts, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Department of Financial Services, and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

The 16th edition of the nationwide employment drive is being held at 47 locations across India. Recruitments are taking place in various Central Government Ministries and Departments. The event began at around 11 am with an inaugural address by Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh.

Rozgar Mela is part of the Prime Minister's efforts to prioritise employment generation. It aims to offer meaningful opportunities to the youth and promote their involvement in nation-building. So far, over 10 lakh appointment letters have been issued under the Rozgar Mela initiative.

Meanwhile, during the event in Bhubaneswar, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan strongly criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his recent remarks on Odisha, accusing him of insulting the state's culture and traditions during his visit.

'Rahul Gandhi is not so knowledgeable. He speaks what his team writes for him. I would have liked it if he had sought an apology from the people of Odisha after all the humiliation we have faced from his party... He had come to Odisha after so long, he really should have asked for an apology from the Odiyas... Instead of that, he gave another example of his arrogance,' Pradhan said.

He also accused the Congress MP of disrespecting the sacred 'khandua pata', a traditional cloth offered in honour of Lord Jagannath.

'Whoever comes to Odisha, they are offered 'khandua pata' in the form of the blessings of Mahaprabhu Jagannath... When Rahul Gandhi removed and kept the 'khandua pata' aside, it shows that he does not have an iota of knowledge and respect for our culture and traditions. These are just theatrics,' the Union Minister added. (ANI)