Bhubaneswar, Jan 23: Union Petroleum & Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan unveiled a life-size statue of the great freedom fighter and martyr Veer Surendra Sai in front of the VSS Airport in the district on the occasion of his 213th birth anniversary today.

Union Coal & Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi also joined the ceremony in virtual mode.

The freedom fighter’s statue has been built at a cost of Rs 60 lakh with assistance from Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL).

Later, Pradhan visited Veer Surendra Sai’s ancestral home at Khinda in Sambalpur district and met his successors.