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Prez to visit Ayodhya by special train, lay foundation of Ayush univ in Gorakhpur
LUCKNOW President Ram Nath Kovind will begin his four-day visit to Uttar Pradesh (UP) from Thursday
LUCKNOW President Ram Nath Kovind will begin his four-day visit to Uttar Pradesh (UP) from Thursday. His itinerary includes convocation and launch functions, but the highlight would be his journey to Ayodhya by a special train from Lucknow on Sunday – the second journey to UP in a presidential train in two months.
Kovind will be the first Indian President to visit Ram Lalla temple in Ayodhya.
He is also expected to offer prayers at the site where the Ram temple is being constructed.
Security has been beefed up in Lucknow ahead of the VIP’s visit, police officials said. Though the President’s schedule hasn’t been received so far, officials said the country’s top executive would begin his UP journey from Thursday when he would grace the ninth convocation of Lucknow’s Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU).
He would follow it up by unveiling a statue of former UP chief minister Dr Sampurnanand and also inaugurate an auditorium at the Captain Manoj Pandey Sainik School in Lucknow on Friday.
The President would also attend the 26th convocation function of Lucknow’s Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS).
On Saturday, the President will lay the foundation of Ayush University and inaugurate Mahayogi Guru Gorakhnath University in Gorakhpur. Ahead of the President’s visit, chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited Gorakhpur to review preparations.
Mahayogi Guru Gorakhnath University, a private institution, has been established by the Gorakhnath Temple Trust. It has been named after Guru Gorakhnath — the founder of Nath Panth. With two new universities, Gorakhpur will now have four universities. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University and Madan Mohan Malviya Technological University are already enrolling students for higher education.
An officer said the state government plans to spend ₹815 crore on the construction of Ayush University. The state government has acquired 52 acres land for the university near Pipri and Tarkulhi villages. The PWD has earmarked ₹299.87 crore for the construction of the university.
Though the President’s final itinerary hasn’t been announced, the buzz is that he might visit the Gorakhnath temple too. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath is the head priest of the temple.
On Sunday, President Kovind will go to Ayodhya from Lucknow by a special train.
“He will launch various projects of the state government’s department of culture and tourism, including renovation and construction of Tulsi Smarak Bhavan and the development of bus stand in the city. The President is also expected to visit the site where the Ram temple is coming up in Ayodhya. He will also perform pooja at the site,” an officer said.
Ahead of the President’s visit, chief minister Yogi Adityanath called on governor Anandiben Patel on Wednesday evening. While officials described it as a “courtesy call”, it is learnt that the two leaders discussed about the President’s four-day visit to UP.
