Citing ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ as Jewel of NE, Prez Kovind received warm welcome amidst ritualistic rhythms from students

Itanagar, November 20: Citing Arunachal as the ‘Jewel’ of the northeastern region, President Ram Nath Kovind received classic ceremonial welcome from the students of the state dancing to the rhythms of traditional songs. On his 4 day tour to northeast, he arrived for the first time in Arunachal Pradesh as the President of India. 

Addressing the valedictory function of the completion of 40 years of Vivekananda Kendra, President hailed Arunachal Pradesh saying that if the Northeast is the crown of the country, the state is the “jewel in the crown”.

 

Addressing the function Prez Kovind said “Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalayas (VKVs) have become a source of inspiration to the people for its motto and philosophy of ‘Service to humanity is service to nation’,” the President said while addressing the function. He said the 36 VKVs in the state, while maintaining tribal culture and traditions, had been imparting quality education to the tribal students.

 

Chief Minister Pema Khandu highlighted various skill development programmes initiated by the government and said the dearth of gainful employment was the biggest challenge for the youth in this state. 

Lauding the band performance of the students, Prez Kovind said it was comparable to the ones exhibited by the defense forces. “Being the head of armed forces, I get the opportunity to witness the band display by the Army, Air Force and the Navy on many occasions. The band display by the students here is brilliant and at par with the armed forces,” he said.

Refering the state to the historical significance “Arunachal has a special mention in the epics and history of the country. If northeast is the crown of this country, Arunachal Pradesh is the jewel in the crown,” Prez Kovind said. “The state with lush green vegetation, and snow-clad mountains has been attracting many tourists,” he added.

 

Terming the state a “power house” of the country, Kovind said the state had a number of developmental projects on its radar, including a 1500-km Trans Arunachal Highway and 500-beded Tomo Riba Institute of Medical Sciences (TRIMS) at Naharlagun. For the next three days his visit includes his address to Namami Barak festival in Assam on its closing day, inauguration of the North East Development Summit and a tour of the INA war memorial in Manipur.