Bhubaneswar, June 18 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu is set to visit her home district Mayurbhanj in Odisha, where she will participate in a host of several developmental and social welfare programmes on June 19 and 20, the President’s Office said on Thursday.

The district is gearing up to give her a rousing welcome.

The local residents are excited and exhilarated over the visit as they see this as a golden opportunity to get a glimpse of the President from close quarters.

Moreover, the proposed visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to President Murmu’s village has taken the excitement to another level.

Reports suggest that PM Modi is set to join President Murmu at a key event in Rairangpur on June 20, being held to celebrate two years of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Odisha.

Some reports said that PM Modi will also visit Pahadpur, the native village of President Murmu’s late husband Shyam Charan Murmu, located about 20 km from Rairangpur town.

While the locals and residents from nearby villagers are making plans to attend the mega event, the Odisha government has also stepped up efforts to finalise preparations for the country’s two highest VVIPs to Mayurbhanj district.

People in both Pahadpur and Rairangpur village are excited, elated and looking forward to the VVIP visit.

Beyond the administrative preparations, the entire village of Pahadpur is immersed in a festive atmosphere.

Villagers who have known and watched the “daughter of the soil” (referring to President Droupadi Murmu) since her childhood, eagerly await the opportunity to see the Prime Minister from close quarters for the first time.

The administration has swung into action from Pahadpur to Rairangpur to ensure the smooth conduct of the high-profile visit.

According to the schedule, President Murmu and PM Modi will arrive in Pahadpur village on Saturday morning, where they will be accorded a warm and grand welcome.

Both will pay obeisance at the village shrine Gosani Peeth, before participating in several programmes relating to people welfare and youth empowerment.

Prime Minister Modi is also slated to visit the village of in-laws of President Murmu, where he will pay floral tributes to the statues of her late husband and sons. They will also tour a local school and interact with students and local residents.

Giving an insight to high-profile visits to Mayurbhanj, BJP MP Naba Charan Majhi said, “President Droupadi Murmu will arrive on June 19 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 20. Programmes have been scheduled in Paharpur, where they will visit a Skill Development Centre and the SLS Memorial School. They will then travel by helicopter to Dandbose Airstrip, where a mega public meeting has been planned.”

Prime Minister Modi will also address a gathering of more than 50,000 people and inaugurate as well as lay foundation stones for several developmental projects in the district.

–IANS

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