Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has raised the political pitch by ensuring inclusion of two key places from the region in Swadesh Darshan 2.0 Scheme.

The Debrigarh Wlidlife Sanctuary in Bargarh and Khinda in Sambalpur district, birthplace of Veer Surendra Sai, have been selected under the national scheme that would boost the tourism potential of these places further.

Earlier, Dharmendra had written to his Cabinet colleague G Kishan Reddy seeking a special package for Debrigarh and Khinda. With BJP giving special attention to Western Odisha and Dharmendra possibly contesting polls from Sambalpur, the battle will turn interesting in the coming months.