Kolkata, March 6 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu will arrive in West Bengal on Friday afternoon for a two-day packed schedule in the northern sector of the state.

This will be her first visit to the state since she assumed the position of the Indian President. Almost the entire North Bengal has been wrapped under the blanket security cover on the occasion of President Murmu’s visit there.

As per the tentative schedule as of now, the President is expected to arrive at Bagdogra Airport on the outskirts of Siliguri town of Darjeeling district in the afternoon.

From there, she will go straight to the Governor’s House, now known as Lok Bhavan, and will inaugurate the Darjeeling Hill Festival, celebrating the rich art, culture, and heritage of the hills and North Bengal.

The highlights of the festival, an initiative of Lok Bhavan, in collaboration with leading cultural institutions, will be “Roots and Rhythm”, an exhibition featuring iconic artefacts from the historic Indian Museum.

In fact, before tendering his resignation from the chair of the Governor on Thursday evening, C.V. Ananda Bose had given a statement on the Lok Bhavan’s official social media handle about the programme. He also said that Darjeeling was all set to host a history through that event.

Spending the Friday night at Lok Bhavan, the President will go to Gossaipur in the same district on Saturday and attend the 9th International Santal Conference being organised by the International Santal Council.

Initially, the event was supposed to be held in Bidhannagar. However, due to security reasons, the programme had been shifted to Gossaipur. From there, the President will be virtually inaugurating the Bidhannagar event. A tree plantation festival will be held virtually.

The International Santal Council organises a conference every year on how to maintain these communities, including the conservation of their culture, language, and economic development

Last time this conference was organised in Assam. This year, several experts from India and abroad will be participating in the conference.

–IANS

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