Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has initiated comprehensive preparations for President Droupadi Murmu’s upcoming six-day visit to the state, beginning February 2.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg chaired a high-level state preparatory meeting on Thursday evening at Lok Seva Bhawan, directing all departments, district administrations, and police to ensure flawless arrangements with no room for lapses. The Chief Secretary directed secretaries, district collectors, and SPs concerned to personally monitor their respective programmes and maintain zero-error standards.
Discussions covered key aspects such as airport reception, protocol, security arrangements, fire safety, uninterrupted power supply with backup generators, road repairs, sanitation, drinking water, stage setup, barricading, passes, and media coverage.
A control room will be operated by the Home Department for overall coordination.
The meeting was attended by senior officials, including Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Hemant Sharma, DGP Y B Khurania, DG Fire Services Sudhanshu Shadangi, Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Arabinda Kumar Padhee, and representatives from various departments. District collectors and SPs from Jajpur, Balasore, Puri, and Mayurbhanj joined virtually to update on local preparations.
The visit is expected to highlight Odisha’s cultural heritage, educational institutions, and development initiatives, especially in tribal and rural areas. Extensive security and logistical arrangements are being put in place across all venues, an official release said.
The President’s Itinerary
President Droupadi Murmu is set to embark on a six-day visit to Odisha from February 2 to February 7. During her tour, she will participate in a series
of religious, educational, developmental, and cultural programmes across several districts, including Jajpur, Balasore, Puri, Mayurbhanj, and Bhubaneswar.
The President is scheduled to arrive in Bhubaneswar on the evening of February 2, where she will attend some courtesy meetings at Lok Bhawan and stay overnight.
On February 3, she will visit Jajpur in the morning to offer prayers at Maa Biraja Temple and perform rituals at Nabhi Gaya. In the afternoon, she will proceed to Balasore to grace the 12th convocation ceremony of Fakir Mohan University as the chief guest and later inaugurate a 1,000-seater auditorium.
That evening, she will travel to Puri to visit the Shree Jagannath Temple, where she will have darshan of the deities, participate in aarti, and perform Pind Dadan (a sacred ritual performed to ensure peace and liberation (moksha) for the souls of departed ancestors).
On February 4, the President will head to Mayurbhanj district. She will inaugurate the Holiday Home at Mahuldiha in Rairangpur and visit the Girls’ Higher Secondary School run by the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Development Department. She will also unveil the statue of tribal leader Bhanjbir Sunaram Soren on the school campus. Later, she will inaugurate a sports complex at Baidapur and virtually lay foundation stones for the OUAT campus, an archery centre, an Ayush centre, the Indian Institute of Forest Management and a riverfront upgrade project at Rairangpur College.
On February 5, she will attend a special programme at the Jagannath Temple at Rairangpur in the morning and visit Similipal in the afternoon.
During her stay at Similipal Tiger Reserve, Murmu will interact with tribal women and youth. The tour will conclude in Bhubaneswar, where she will attend ‘Black Swan Summit’, an event jointly organised by the Odisha Government and the Global Finance Technology Network, as chief guest before heading to Chhattisgarh on the morning of February 7.