Narendra Modi to host French prez in Varanasi on March 12

VARANASI: Two years after hosting his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in his parliamentary constituency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will roll out the red carpet for French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife here on March 12.
After Macron, president of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier will visit Varanasi on March 22.

District magistrate Yogeshwar Ram Mishra said that initial official alert regarding the proposed visit of the PM along with the French president has been received. The German embassy has also finalized schedule regarding proposed visit of its President on March 22.

In a bid to finalise the preparations on the basis of tentative itinerary of both the dignitaries, Mishra convened a meeting of all departments at the Rifle Club in the evening and assigned tasks to the officials.

As per the tentative itinerary, the French president will land at LBS International Airport with his wife and will be welcomed by Modi. Macron will visit the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Trade Facilitation Centre in Lalpur area. He will also visit Assi and Dashaswamedh ghats and tour the ghats from the Ganga on a baot.

After lunch, when the French president will be busy in site-seeing tour, Modi will attend other events.

The district officials have started preparations for Modi's possible dedication of already completed development projects in the post-lunch reserve time. The PM will join the French president at airport in the evening from where they will leave for Delhi.

This is the second time that Modi will host head of a nation in his parliamentary constituency. In December 2015, Modi had hosted his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe. Apart from visiting various site, the duo had witnessed Ganga Aarti at Dashaswamedh Ghat.

The date of the arrival of German President has also been finalized by the German embassy in India, although the officials here have no intimation regarding the person who will welcome him on the behalf of Modi in Varanasi.

It is expected that the German president will spend time at Sarnath and Banaras Hindu University besides enjoying the beauty of mythological ghats along river Ganga before leaving for Delhi the same evening.