August 23, 2020: On the occasion 'Nuakhai Juhar', which is one of the most ancient festivals celebrated in Odisha, Chhattisgarh and areas of neighbouring states to welcome the new crop of the season, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday extended his good wishes to the farmers and wished for their prosperity and good health.

"The special occasion of Nuakhai is about celebrating the hardwork of our farmers. It is due to their efforts that our nation is fed. May this auspicious day bring prosperity and good health for everyone. Nuakhai Juhar!" Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

Nuakhai Juhar is the agricultural festival is also called Nuakhai Parab or Nuakahi Bhetghat. Nuakhai is a combination of two words signifies eating of new rice as 'nua' means new and 'khai' means eat. On this day, people worship food grain and prepare special meals. Farmers offer the first produce from their lands to Goddess Samaleswari, the famous 'Mother Goddess' of Sambalpur district of Odisha. Moreover, locals also organise several cultural programmes - folk songs and dances in their respective districts on this day to display the state's local culture and tradition. However, this year, people will celebrate the festival while staying indoors due to COIVID-19 outbreak.