Bhubaneswar, Nov 25 (PTI) Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has sought direct flight services between Bhubaneswar and Dubai to boost Odisha's economy through trade and tourism.

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In a letter to Jyotiraditya M Scindia, his counterpart in the civil aviation ministry, Pradhan said that he has received a request from Odia Society UAE, Dubai, in this regard.

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More than 10,000 Odia people of the Arab country have been demanding a direct flight to Bhubaneswar for long, he said.

“A direct Dubai-Bhubaneswar flight shall be a gateway for Odia people for international travel and make it convenient for Odias living all over the world to connect to Odisha better and shall be instrumental to promote international tourism in the state including medical tourism,” he wrote on Wednesday.

He also said that traders, businesspersons and artists from Odisha are taking part in Dubai Expo 2021.

“Thus, air communication between these cities will give a boost to the state economy through the trade of artefacts, handlooms and farm produce,” Pradhan added.

He had made a similar requested to the erstwhile civil aviation Minister Hardeep S Puri in 2019.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)