During her stay in Odisha, Murmu is scheduled to attend various events in her home district, Mayurbhanj, and in Keonjhar, Berhampur, Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur.

According to official sources, the President will arrive in Mayurbhanj district on February 28 and inaugurate and lay foundation stones of several projects at her native place in Rairangpur. She is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of a holiday home of the CPWD and some highway projects, among others.

On February 29, she will spend around 30 minutes and offer prayers at Maa Kichakeswari temple between 10.10 am and 10.40 am before proceeding to Keonjhar to inaugurate a national-level seminar on tribals at Dharanidhar University.

In the evening, she will attend the 53rd Convocation of Utkal University in Bhubaneswar and stay overnight at Raj Bhavan.

On March 1, President Murmu will attend the 25th Convocation of Berhampur University in Ganjam district. The following day, she will participate in various programmes in Sambalpur before departing for Delhi.

Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena and DGP Arun Kumar Sarangi reviewed preparations for the President’s visit to the state at a high-level meeting, which was attended by collectors and SPs of the five districts, on Thursday.

This will be her third visit to her home district since assuming charge as the President in July 2022.

In November 2023, the President had inaugurated an Eklavya Model Residential School at Kuliana and also attended the inaugural session of the 36th Annual Conference and Literary Festival of All India Santali Writers’ Association at Baripada, in the tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district. Earlier in May that year, she attended the convocation of Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University in Baripada and also visited the Similipal Tiger Reserve.

For the short ceremonial trip, the two presidents rode on a colonial-era open-air buggy and waved to crowds as they arrived at the destination ahead of the parade. After a gap of 40 years, the presidential carriage returned to the Republic Day celebrations, replacing the usual armoured limousine.

The presidential buggy was in use for Republic Day functions till 1984 but was discontinued after the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The six-horse drawn, black-coloured carriage with gold-plated rims, red velvet interiors and an embossed Ashoka chakra originally belonged to the Viceroy of India during British rule. The buggy was used for ceremonial purposes and to travel around the presidential (then Viceroy) estate.

However, when the colonial rule ended, both India and newly-formed Pakistan vied for the luxurious buggy. To decide which country would keep the buggy, the two nations came up with a unique solution – toss a coin. India’s Colonel Thakur Govind Singh and Pakistan’s Sahabzada Yaqub Khan flipped the coin. Colonel Singh won the buggy for India.

Later, the buggy was used by the President to ride from Rashtrapati Bhavan to Parliament for the oath-taking ceremony. The carriage was also used to ferry the head of state to the Beating Retreat ceremony at Vijay Chowk on Kartavya Path to mark the end of Republic Day celebrations on January 29.

Several years after Independence, the use of the open-carriage, which was a common transport vehicle for the President, was discontinued owing to security threats. The traditional buggy was soon replaced with bullet-proof cars.

The historic buggy made a comeback in 2014 with President Pranab Mukherjee arriving in it to attend the Beating Retreat ceremony.

The Jeevan Raksha Padak series of awards are bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated exceptional acts of human courage in saving the lives of others. These awards categorised as Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak, and Jeevan Raksha Padak, are open to individuals from all walks of life. The recognition may also be awarded posthumously, acknowledging the ultimate sacrifice made in the pursuit of saving another’s life.

The decoration of the award comprises a medal, a certificate personally signed by the Union home minister, and a lump sum monetary allowance.

The Jeevan Raksha Padak series of awards are bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated exceptional acts of human courage in saving the lives of others. These awards categorised as Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak, and Jeevan Raksha Padak, are open to individuals from all walks of life. The recognition may also be awarded posthumously, acknowledging the ultimate sacrifice made in the pursuit of saving another’s life.

The decoration of the award comprises a medal, a certificate personally signed by the Union home minister, and a lump sum monetary allowance.

The President along with Governor Raghubar Das and Union Minister Bishweswar Tudu joined the event. She flagged off a special boat at the event, commemorating the state’s ancient maritime glory. The ceremony was organised by the Paradip Port Authority on the occasion of Kartika Purnima.

During her visit to Paradip, Murmu also boarded a special vessel ‘Amogh’ of the Indian Coast Guard.

The President inspected port craft before addressing members of the fishing community. Special security arrangements have been made for the smooth functioning of the event.

The President, who had arrived in Bhubaneswar on Sunday evening on a two-day Odisha visit, had a night halt at Raj Bhavan in the state capital.

Murmu will also virtually inaugurate a Multi Model Logistic Park as well as lay the foundation stones for new reservoir and water treatment plant for Port Township and next-gen vessel traffic management and information system.

This is her second visit to Odisha in a week after spending three days in her home district Mayurbhanj and Sambalpur from November 20.

The President reached Biju Patnaik International Airport in the evening 20 minutes before the scheduled arrival. She was received at the airport by Governor Raghubar Das, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs and Jal Shakti Bishweswar Tudu.

Soon after arrival at the airport amid tight security, Murmu proceeded to Raj Bhavan where she is scheduled to have a night halt.

This is her second visit to Odisha in a week after spending three days in her home district Mayurbhanj and Sambalpur from November 20.

On Monday, Murmu will grace the Boita Bandana ceremony, which commemorates the state’s ancient maritime glory, organised by the Paradip Port Authority on the occasion of Kartika Purnima at Paradip.

She will also virtually inaugurate a Multi Model Logistic Park as well as lay the foundation stones for new reservoir and water treatment plant for Port Township and next-gen vessel traffic management and information system.

She is also likely to interact with the members of the fishing community during this visit to Paradip.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said education has always played an important and transformative role in society building. She highlighted that moral and human values like service, equality and sympathy are the foundation of our culture.

Calling upon the youth to be familiar with these great ideals, she said they should take care of their elderly parents and people from the deprived sections of society to make a better society.

Positive attitude towards these values should be created in the minds of children through education, Murmu said.

The President said that moral education helps in building our life and brings positive changes in the society. Moral education makes us aware of the life values of compassion, kindness, friendship and fraternity. Positive changes can occur in an individual having these qualities. Positive changes in an individual can result a better society, she said

She was happy to note that Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya is making the path to happiness, peace and joy, accessible through character-building, self-realisation and divine experience.

The trains are Badampahar-Tata Nagar MEMU, Badampahar-Rourkela Weekly Express and Badampahar-Shalimar Weekly Express. Prior to this, there was not a single mail/express train to Rairangpur station.

Governor Raghubar Das, Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Ashwini Vaishnaw and Bishweswar Tudu and state minister and local MP Sudam Marndi were present on the occasion.

The President also laid the foundation stone for redevelopment of Badampahar railway station and inaugurated the new Rairangpur Postal Division.

She is scheduled to board Badampahar Shalimar Express and travel 32 km to Rairangpur with 200 school students. This is first time the President will be travelling in a normal AC train instead of a special Presidential train.

Later in the evening, she will grace the 15th annual convocation of Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla.

RAILWAYS STATEMENT

>> Shalimar-Badampahar Weekly Express will be the first-ever express train connecting Shalimar near Kolkata in West Bengal with Badampahar in Odisha.

>> The second weekly express train will connect the mineral rich areas of Badampahar with Rourkela, the Steel City of India.

>> Tatanagar-Badampahar MEMU will be important for daily commuters and will run six days a week except Sunday. This will be an additional service between Badampahar and Tatanagar, an important industrial city of Jharkhand.

These trains will pass through mineral rich areas of Odisha, industrial areas of Jharkhand and will facilitate faster connectivity with the State of West Bengal. People from nearby areas will also be able to avail this train service for visiting Kolkata and Howrah for various purposes. Students and job aspirants of Badampahar / Rairangpur area will have easy access to the premier educational institutes and corporate houses in West Bengal.

Better connectivity will boost the growth and development of Mayurbhanj district as these new trains will encourage tourists from West Bengal and Jharkhand to explore and enjoy the picturesque landscape and dense jungles.

Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda and Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Tribal Affairs Bishweswar Tudu and a host of other dignitaries will be present on the occasion, official sources said on Sunday.

Eklavya Residential Model School is a flagship scheme of Central government for imparting quality education to the tribal students. In 2019, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 452 new Eklavya Residential Model Schools were sanctioned, one in every tribal block with 50% or more ST population and 20,000.

The PM launched the scheme on September 12, 2019 from Ranchi Jharkhand. The recurring cost per student was also enhanced from Rs. 61,000 to RS 1,09,000. Later in 2022, the construction cost of EMRS was enhanced from Rs 20 crore and Rs 24 crore to Rs 38 crore and 48 crore in plain areas and hilly areas respectively. With 288 schools sanctioned before 2019 under the old scheme, Ministry of Tribal Affairs would be setting up total 740 schools by March 2026, including construction of 452 schools approved in 2019.

Ministry of tribal affairs is implementing this scheme through National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) on the lines of Navodaya Vidyalayas.. The NESTS is also recruiting more than 38,000 teaching and non-teaching staff for these schools.

The state governments are required to provide encumbrance free land of about 15 acres for construction of these schools. In Odisha, total 114 schools are to be constructed, of which 106 have been sanctioned. Of these 114 schools, 27 schools are under the old scheme and 87 under the new schemes. At 8 locations, the process of provision of land is under process. As on date 32 locations schools are functional and buildings of 31 schools are complete, including 4 under the new scheme.

The President will inaugurate Kuliana, Mayurbhanj, for which budget of Rs. 38 cr is sanctioned by Ministry of Tribal Affairs. It is being constructed by Hindustan Steel Construction Ltd (HSCL), a public sector enterprise under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Out of 87 new EMRS sanctioned in Odisha, Mayurbhanj district alone has got 19 schools one in every block, which is the largest for any district in India. In the last two years, in coordination with the state Government, the construction work at 48 places in Odisha is in progress of which 19 schools are in Mayurbhanj. Union Minister Bishweswar Tudu is MP from Mayurbhanj.

The Kuliana EMRS campus is constructed in about 12 acres of land. It will be having 16 class rooms for 480 students comprising of 240 girls and 240 boys. There are separate hostels for boys and girls, mess, residential accommodation for Principal, teaching and non-teaching staff, administrative block, playground, computer and science laboratories. These schools will prove to be a milestone for the overall development of tribal students of this area.

The President is also scheduled to grace the inaugural session of the 36th Annual Conference and Literary Festival of All India Santali Writers’ Association at Baripada on Monday.

Official sources said that the Governor called on the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan during his first visit to the national capital after taking charge.

During his visit to New Delhi, Das also paid a courtesy visit to the Prime Minister. Both held discussion on several issues.

It may be noted that while Das happens to be a former Jharkhand Chief Minister, President Droupadi Murmu was also Governor of that state.

Das was sworn in as the 26th Governor of Odisha at Raj Bhawan in Bhubaneswar on October 31.

President Droupadi Murmu presented the award highlighting the capital city’s unwavering dedication to innovation, sustainability and inclusive urban development, sources said.

This apart, Bhubaneswar received the ‘Partner MSI Award,’ presented to Honeywell Automation for their outstanding contributions to the Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited project. Honeywell’s commitment to innovation and excellence in advancing smart city initiatives has made a significant impact on the community.

The award ceremony was held during the India Smart Cities Conclave 2023 in Indore in Madhya Pradesh. A delegation comprising Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Additional Commissioner Subhendu Sahu and Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) General Manager Subrat Kumar Behera received the awards. The event was attended by representatives of BMC, BSCL, and Honeywell.

The Smart Cities Conclave 2023 brought together government officials, urban planners, industry leaders, and experts from across India. The conclave served as a crucial platform for stakeholders to converge and foster discussions on state-of-the-art strategies and innovations within the realm of smart cities.