President Ram Nath Kovind will arrive here on Saturday on a two-day visit to Odisha. This will be his first visit to the State as President.
On Saturday, the President will commence his engagements by paying tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at his birthplace in Cuttack. later, he will dedicate the Anand Bhawan Museum and learning Centre, a memorial of former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik to the people of Odisha in Cuttack. On the same day, Kovind will also deliver the third foundation day lecture at the National law University in Cuttack.
later, in the evening the President and his family members will leave for Puri and arrive at the helipad there at about 5.20 pm and would be escorted to Special Circuit house. After spending the night, the President and family on Sunday visit the Shree Jagannath Temple at about 7.30 am.
At the temple gate District Magistrate Arabind Agarwal, Puri king Dibyasingh Dev along with temple Chief Administrator PK Jena and IGP Soumendra Priyadarshi would receive him. This is President Kovind’s first visit to the Puri temple.
The traditional family priest (panda) of President Krushnachandra Gochhikar would escort the President into the temple for darshan of lord Jagannath and his siblings. At about 8.15 am he would return to Special Circuit House and have breakfast.
For the President’s visit the temple administrations have notified that pilgrims and devotees could not be allowed into temple from 6 am to 9 am on Sunday. Except servitors on duty none would be allowed into the temple complex. Then at 10 am he will attend the centenary celebration ceremony at Sadashiv Sanskrit Sansthan. At about 11 am he is expected to leave Puri by an Air Force helicopter to Bhubaneswar.
After returning to Bhubaneswar, the President will grace the convocation of the IIT Bhubaneswar as well as inaugurate the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) of the Indian Oil Corporation, Bhubaneswar campus. He will also lay the foundation-stone for the Skill Development Institute of oil PSUs before returning to Delhi.