Shimla: President Ram Nath Kovind arrived in Shimla on Thursday for a four-day visit to Himachal Pradesh.
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Speaker, Vidhan Sabha Vipin Singh Parmar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Bhardwaj, welcomed him at the Annadale Helipad here.
The President will address a special session of the state assembly on Friday, at 11 am to mark the golden jubilee of Himachal Pradesh’s statehood. Kovind will be the third President to address the Himachal Pradesh assembly after APJ Abdul Kalam in 2003 and Pranab Mukherjee in 2013.
He will attend the valedictory ceremony of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service at the National Academy of Audit and Accounts, Shimla, as the chief guest.
After testing four staff members of the President official residence in Shimla ‘The Retreat’ tested Covid positive, President Ram Nath Kovind is staying at the Oberoi Cecil hotel.
Apart from all sitting MLAs, former legislators, including ex-chief ministers Shanta Kumar and Prem Kumar Dhumal, have been invited to attend the special session. Ninety-three former MLAs, including Kumar and Dhumal, have given their consent to attend the session.
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in the state capital. Police, CID and the staff of other security agencies have been deployed in strength at all vulnerable places and the movement of vehicles have been restricted between Kennedy House and Boileauganj from September 16 to 19.
