Jamshedpur, February 26 President Droupadi Murmu stated on Thursday that spiritual teachings in the Bhagavad Gita could provide a new direction for today's youth and shape their lives.
Murmu was addressing a gathering after performing the ground-breaking ceremony of the Sri Jagannath Spiritual and Cultural Charitable Centre Trust in the Kadma area of Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, and laying its foundation stone.
She said that the proposed Jagannath cultural center would promote lessons from the scripture.
"The Jagannath temple in Jamshedpur will be a center for spiritual learning and communal harmony. It will ensure the education of poor children, including girls, at its hostel," Murmu said.
The teachings contained in the Bhagavad Gita are nourishment for the soul, the President said.
Murmu also praised those behind the proposed spiritual center, which she said would help instill the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita among the youth and shape their personality.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, speaking on the occasion, said that over 500 Jagannath temples have been built across the country so far.
S K Behera, the managing trustee of the Sri Jagannath Spiritual and Cultural Charitable Centre Trust, said that it would be a replica of the 12th-century shrine in Puri, Odisha.
The center will be developed on a 2.5-acre plot near the Kharkhai river at an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore.
The project is expected to boost religious tourism in Jharkhand and also serve as a hub for "character building and ethical development" of the younger generation.
"We aim to foster holistic personality development of today's youth and those pursuing higher education," Behera said.