President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday completed one year in office. During this period he has visited 27 out of 29 states in India. He has travelling thrice to the troubled Jammu and Kashmir apart from visiting Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat several times. He also made trips to six out of eight Northeastern states.
Among his foreign visits, the President has been to 10 countries. As the Head of the State of India, Kovind was the first to visit Djibouti, Madagascar, Swaziland and Cuba. His trip to Ethiopia was first by an Indian President since 1972.
In this one year, Kovind has hosted Presidents and monarchs from countries like Belgium, France, Jordan, South Korea, Iran among others. By receiving 38 other global leaders from five continents, President Kovind has set a precedent.
On May 10, 2018, Kovind became the second Indian President since APJ Abdul Kalam to fly over the world's highest battlefield and address soldiers posted at the Siachen glacier, where temperatures often dip to minus 50 degrees Celsius. In August 2017, Kovind visited Leh in Jammu and Kashmir to honour the Ladakh Scouts.
In New Delhi, Kovind threw open the gates of Rashtrapati Bhavan for general public for four days a week - Thursday to Sunday. This saw a staggering 90,147 people visiting the Rashtrapati Bhavan and Mughal Gardens in the past year. His predecessor Pranab Mukherjee had decided to allow the public to visit the Presidential complex three days a week.
During his visits to various states in one year, President Kovind has met 12,740 people, a number that is extraordinary in the figure. From soldiers, scientists, farmers to pharmacists, students to athletes, he has met 34 persons a day on an average.
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