07 Dec 2022  |   06:38am IST

PM is coming, so President is not

President Murmu calls off her visit to the Canacona Lokotsav; technical problems posed due to too much VVIP movement, with PM also here

Team Herald

PANJIM: In view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Goa on December 11, the maiden trip of President of India Droupadi Murmu, who was supposed to attend the Lokotsav 2022 in Canacona, has been cancelled.

The Lokotsav is held from December 7 to 11. The same coincides with the World Ayurveda Congress scheduled from December 8-11. The Prime Minister is attending the closing ceremony of the Congress on December 11.

Goa Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar said that he had invited the President of India for the festival and she had accepted. “But now considering the Prime Minister’s visit, Murmu has cancelled her visit. There are technical problems posed due to too much VVIP movement in the State,” he explained.

This would have been Murmu’s first visit to Goa after being elected as the President of India in July. 

She had earlier visited the coastal State as part of her election campaign to interact with the MLAs.

Organised by the Adarsh Yuva Sangh, the Lokotsav is an annual event showcasing the tradition and culture of the tribal community. This is the 22nd edition of the event.

Tawadkar said this year the event is going to be one of the biggest. He said that more than 5,000 youth will participate in the event.