Puri, June 27 -- As the annual Rath Yatra began in Odisha's Puri on Friday, Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat participated in the celebrations and offered prayers to Lord Jagannath, joining lakhs of devotees gathered to witness the grand procession of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra.

Speaking to the media, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan says, "The first ritual of the Jagannath Yatra has been completed. All three siblings have reached the chariots... I am satisfied with the arrangements made by the state government..."

Earlier in the day, Union Ministers Pradhan and Shekhawat visited and appreciated the state-of-the-art Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) in Puri, developed by ...