Prez to attend ‘Vanvasi Sangam’in Sonbhadra on March 14

Varanasi: After being delayed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the tribal event, Vanvasi Sangam, will be graced by President Ram Nath Kovind in Sonbhadra on March 14. Earlier, the event was scheduled to be held on March 15, 2020 but was cancelled due to Covid-19 outbreak.
During his three-day tour of eastern Uttar Pradesh beginning March 13, the President will take part in various programmes in Sonbhadra, Varanasi and Mirzapur districts.
According to the visit schedule of the President released by PIB, he will arrive in Varanasi on Saturday. After offering prayer at Kashi Vishwanath Temple and watching the grand Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat in the evening, the President will leave for Sonbhadra and Mirzapur on March 14. He will also attend a programme on the issues of the Ganga, environment and the culture of India in Varanasi on March 15.
In Sonbhadra, the President will attend the Vanvasi Sangam and inaugurate the newly-built school and hostel of Seva Samarpan Sansthan of Akhil Bhartiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram at Seva Kunj Ashram, Chapki. Earlier, this programme was scheduled on March 15, 2020.
“All the arrangements for the President’s visit have been completed,” Sonbhadra district magistrate Abhishek Singh told TOI over phone on Friday. He said that after a 15-minute round of the Seva Kunj Ashram, the President will take part in Vanvasi Sangam to interact with the tribal populace. After attending the programme, the President will leave for Mirzapur, where he will offer prayer at Vindhyavasini Devi temple in Vindhyachal.
Meanwhile, the Varanasi administration has geared up for foolproof arrangements for the President’s visit. While district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma took stock of the preparations on Thursday, divisional commissioner Deepak Agrawal had held a meeting of officials on March 9. The meeting was attended by many officials including vice-chairman of Varanasi Development Authority, municipal commissioner, and the officials of other departments including police, airport, PWD, BLW, and tourism.