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President Kovind arrives on four-day visit to Himachal Pradesh
The President will address the special session of the assembly on Friday to mark the golden jubilee of Himachal’s statehood
President Ram Nath Kovind arrived in Shimla on Thursday on a four-day visit to Himachal Pradesh during which he will address the special session of the state assembly.
The President’s helicopter landed at Annadale Ground in the afternoon. He was received by Himachal Pradesh governor Rajendra Arlekar and chief minister Jai Ram Thakur.
Vidhan Sabha Speaker Vipin Singh Parmar, state parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Bhardwaj, Shimla mayor Satya Kaundal, ARTRAC army commander Lt General Raj Shukla, chief secretary Ram Subhag Singh, director general of police Sanjay Kundu, general administration department secretary Devesh Kumar, Shimla deputy commissioner Aditya Negi and superintendent of police Monika Bhatungru were also present.
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Kovind is staying at The Oberoi Cecil near the Himachal Pradesh assembly. Earlier, he was to stay at The Retreat at Chharabra but the arrangement was changed after three employees of the presidential house tested positive for Covid-19.
The President will address the special session of the assembly on Friday to mark the golden jubilee of Himachal Pradesh’s statehood.
On Saturday, he will grace the valedictory ceremony of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service officer trainees of 2018 and 2019 batches at the National Academy of Audit and Accounts, Yarrows, Shimla.
The President will return to Delhi on Sunday.
Security tightened in Shimla
The state government has beefed up security in Shimla town in view of the President’s visit.
More than 1,500 police personnel have been deployed in the city to maintain law and order and traffic, besides CID and staff of other security agencies.
Vehicular movement on the road between Kennedy House and Boileauganj, where The Oberoi Cecil is located, has been restricted.
CM, MLAs undergo RT-PCR test
The state government conducted RT-PCR tests of all staff deployed on the President’s duty, including police, Vidhan Sabha secretariat staff, employees of The Oberoi Cecil and the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation. All dignitaries, including chief minister Jai Ram Thakur and MLAs who will attend the special session, have also undergone the test.
