Leading a 33-member delegation, President Bidya Devi Bhandari has left Kathmandu for India on a five-day state visit at the invitation of Indian President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday.

This is the maiden state visit of President Bhandari to India after assuming office of the President in October 2015.

Foreign Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat and Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Sita Devi Yadav are accompanying her.

It has been learnt that there would be no agreements or signing of memoranda of understanding during the trip but the occasion will be used to speed up implementation of the ongoing bilateral trade, connectivity and development projects.

During the visit, President Bhandari will hold meetings with Indian President President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The External Affairs Minister and other Ministers are also scheduled to call on the President during the visit.

Apart from official engagements in New Delhi, President Bhandari will also be visiting Gujrat and Odisha.

The President was preparing to visit India in May last year but it was cancelled due to lack of preparations on the government’s part.

The government on Sunday had announced public holidays on April 17 and April 22 on the starting and closing days of the President’s visit.

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Photos: Shaligram Tiwari