President Kovind on two-day visit to Goa from today

President Ram Nath Kovind will be on a two-day visit to Goa from today. Mr Kovind will attend the annual convocation ceremony of Goa University this afternoon. He will also attend a civic reception hosted by the State Government this evening. 

Tomorrow, the President will visit the Basilica of Bom Jesus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Old Goa and Mangueshi Temple in Mardol near Panaji, before returning to Delhi. This will be Mr Kovind's first visit to the coastal state as the President. 

President Ram Nath Kovind will deliver the convocation address at the 30th annual convocation of Goa University at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium in Bambolim, near Panaji. 

First lady Mrs Savita Kovind will be also present at the function. Goa governor and chancellor of Goa University Mridula



Sinha will preside over the function, while chief minister Manohar Parrikar will be present as a special guest. 

76 scholars will receive their PhD degrees and 70 students will be awarded gold medals, scholarships and prizes for meritorious performance. Mr Parrikar will present the Swachchatam Mahavidyalaya Samman to the cleanest college for 2017-18 under an initiative of the university. 

Dignitaries to attend Goa University convocation ceremony in the past include former presidents Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Smt. Pratibha Patil and Mr Pranab Mukherjee as well as former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. 

In the evening, the Goa government will give a civic reception to the President at the CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, near Panaji.