Covid hits celebrations for Kovind’s 3rd year in office
nNEW DELHI: President Ram Nath Kovind will complete his third year in office on Saturday and all indications are that the Covid-19 pandemic, which has restricted the activities of the country’s first citizen and his office, just as it has for everyone else, may cast a shadow over Rashtrapati Bhavan’s traditional celebratory get-together on Independence Day.
For the past four months, Kovind has cut down his public engagements, meeting only a handful of VVIPS. The government’s own guidelines prohibit large congregations and gatherings.
A senior official in Rashtrapati Bhavan said that the At Home function will definitely happen, but with a much smaller group.
“Usually, Rashtrapati Bhavan would invite about 1500 guests. This time, the invitee list might see just between 40 to 90 people. The function will be held in the conference centre.”
That won’t be the only change. At Homes are known for the food on offer. ““But this time, we are contemplating if food should be served to guests or not. And if the food is to be served, how it should be served as arrangements have to be elaborate,”added the official.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan’s pruned list may not even include all union ministers,or all ambassadors. “We have to pick and choose. We may call select diplomats to cover different regions. Only a few senior judges and a few editors from media might be included. We don’t see any scope for a large at-home gathering this time,” said the official.
On his first and second anniversaries in office, Kovind visited a tribal village and an NGO for disabled children.
This time, there is no such plan, but he will be engaged in charitable work and pay his respects to people safeguarding the health of the nation.
His office will highlight his achievements: an austerity drive, donating 30% of his annual salary to fight the pandemic, the ban on plastic at Rashtrapati
Bhavan, and the massive plantation drive in the estate.
The President’s estate has also gone green with a biogas plant,the reuse of waste paper and a ferry service using electric vehicles.
While all state visits are on hold, Kovid has hosted 9 state visits including the US president this year and received 15 global leaders. For the first time, ambassadors presented their credentials digitally.
Officials said that Kovind wants to make the estate more accessible to people and has already had the huge collection of rare books in Rashtrapati Bhavan library digitized.
It is examining the limited legal question: whether a high court can interfere with the disqualification proceedings initiated before the speaker decides on them.
The Supreme Court, in its 1992 judgment in the Kihoto Holit