President Droupadi Murmu on Monday recalled the rich traditions of Bali Yatra — a symbolic boat trip of Odia merchants to the islands of Java, Sumatra and Bali in Indonesia. Murmu observed this while attending the Boita Bandana Utsav, organised by the Paradip Port Authority, at Paradip that speaks volume about the rich maritime traditions of Odias.

While Murmu inaugurated the Boita Bandana Utsav, the Cuttack Bali Yatra was inaugurated by Odisha finance minister Bikram Keshari Arukh on Monday evening at the millenium city Cuttack.

The President said: “Celebrated since time immemorial, the Bali Yatra festival is a symbol of the prosperity of maritime trade of Odisha. It also highlights the rich cultural consciousness of the people of Odisha.”

Murmu said: “Odisha and other coastal states had a long and prosperous tradition of naval commerce. Apart from trade and commerce, those merchants also played an important role in spreading Indian art and culture abroad.”

The President said that maritime trade has been playing an important role in the trade and economic development of our country. “95 per cent of India's total trade in terms of volume and 65 per cent in terms of value are done through sea transport,” she said.

She stated that India's ports need to function with greater efficiency in line with the global standards. She stated that the Government of India is working to realise the vision of "Ports for Prosperity" and "Ports for Progress".

Expressing her happiness that Paradip got the "Port of Operational Excellence Award" at the Global Maritime India Summit – 2023, Murmu expressed confidence the newly inaugurated Multi-Modal Logistics Park will give a new direction to the transparent development of trade.

On the other hand, the week-long fair at Bali Yatra field in Cuttack is likely to attract more than 50 lakh people from different parts of the state and also from other parts of the world. Spread in an area of over 50 acres, the biggest open-air festival of the state provides a unique platform where a wide range of products starting from traditional crafts and modern technology, including the Roberts, are sold.