Prez Kovind to address Himachal Assembly on Sept 17

Shimla: President of India Ram Nath Kovind will address one-day special session of Himachal Pradesh Assembly on September 17–an event proposed as part of Golden Jubilee celebrations of Himachal Pradesh and put state's 50-year development journey into a new spotlight.

As per the state government, the President will arrive on September 16 and will stay at the Retreat –a holiday resort of the President at Chharabra, a high security zone 14 km from Shimla. He is also expected to attend an official dinner of the state government, and invite prominent citizens over tea at the Retreat.

State Assembly Speaker Vipin Singh Parmar said on Thursday that necessary notification about the special session has already been issued.

The session apart from State Governor Rajendra Vishwnath Arlekar will be attended by all sitting and former members of the state Assembly.

President Ram Nath Kovind will be the third President to address the House at a special occasion, after APJ Abdul Kalam and Pranab Mukherjee.

Himachal Pradesh though had completed its 50 years in 2020 but a detailed plan worked out for year long celebrations had to be shelved because of Covid crisis.

"Now the Covid situation is under control and our vaccination drive has almost covered 98 percent, the government has decided to hold some of the key events, a total of 51 proposed to retrace the state's development journey and contributions made by people of Himachal Pradesh," said Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.