President Ram Nath Kovind, who completed two years in office on Thursday, will be the first President in recent years to visit over 12 countries, including his upcoming visit to west African countries later this week.

Keeping with the government's focus on engaging with African nations, especially former French-ruled nations, President Kovind will embark upon a week long visits to Benin and Gambia.

Marking two years of Mr. Kovind's presidency, Rashtrapati Bhavan has come out impressive slides on how the14th President has taken “India to the world”.

Apart from being the first Indian President to visit Australia, Bolivia and Croatia, he has travelled as far as Chile in South America.

“The President takes keen interest and gives his suggestions when the Rashtrapati Bhavan secretary works out his schedule along with officials of the Ministry of External Affairs,” said an official.

In a year, where the country was electing its next Union government, President Kovind took extra care to be seen as above any partisan politics. He agreed to only three public functions during the 83-day period between the poll notification on March 10 and government formation on May 31.

"Congratulations on completing two years in office, President Kovind Ji. Wishing you well for the rest of your term @rashtrapatibhvn,"tweeted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The President's record on domestic visits is equally impressive, covering 16 States and one Union Territory, with multiple visits to States like Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.

And addressing students has been a priority of Mr. Kovind. He has not only addressed 8 convocations and rewarded scholars, but also addressed students during his foreign visits.

Green initiative

Another key initiative that the Kovind presidency has seen is the move towards adopting greener practices. The Rashtrapati Bhavan has banned the use of plastic bottles and instead promoted the use of glass bottles in official functions. It has also started sending e-invites to cut down on use of paper and setting up a biogas plant.

“The entire Rashtrapati Bhavan will have water harvesting structure for which work is currently on,” said the official.