Prez to leave for India visit Thursday

REPUBLICA
KATHMANDU, Jan 27: President Dr Ram Baran Yadav is embarking on an official visit to India on Thursday.

During his 10-day visit to the southern neighbor, President Dr Yadav is scheduled to attend the 177th Foundation Day of the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, where he accomplished MBBS degree, and also hold meetings with Indian President Prativa Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, key ministers and other political leaders in India.


President Yadav will be accompanied a 17 member delegation, including his daughter, Secretary at President´s Office Baman Prasad Neupane, personal physician, two ADCs and MoFA officials. President´s Political Advisor Hari Sharma and Culture Minister Dr Minendra Rijal will join him later in New Delhi.

According to sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), President Dr Yadav will reach Calcutta on Thursday where he will be received by Nepali Ambassador to India Rukma Shumsher Rana, Nepali Consul General in Calcutta and Chief Minister of West Bengal.

President Dr Yadav is scheduled to visit Kali temple and attend a function at Calcutta Medical College and Hospital on Friday. He will attend dinner party hosted by Chief Minister of Bengal Buddhadeb Bhattacharya in the evening. The president will fly to Shanti Niketan on Saturday and Tirupati temple on Sunday.

According to the itinerary finalized by the MoFA, the president will fly to New Delhi from Haridwar Monday afternoon. He will undergo medical check up on the next day at AIMS Hospital.

President Dr Yadav is scheduled to hold meeting with his Indian counterpart Prativa Patil, Indian Vice President, Prime Minister Manamohan Singh, Foreign Minister S M Krishna, President of Indian National Congress Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday. Indian President Patil will throw a banquet party in honor of Dr Yadav the same evening.

He will hold meeting with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and Defense Minister K Anthony and main opposition party leader Sushma Swaraj on Thursday. Nepali Embassy in New Delhi will organize a dinner party in the evening in honor of the president.

President Dr Yadav will attend as a chief guest the annual convocation of his alma mater, the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research at Chandigardh on February 4. He is scheduled to arrive home in the afternoon of February 5.

President Dr Yadav had last made a four-day official visit to India starting February 15, 2010.