President Pratibha Patil's maiden visit to Bihar on Feb 16

Patna, Feb 2: President Pratibha Patil arrives here on February 16 on a two-day maiden visit to Bihar after assuming the country's highest office last year.

Official sources informed here today that she would leave for Vaishali to visit the ancient ruins and several historical sites of Vaishaligarh. She is expected to be accompanied by Governor R S Gavai and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during her tour,the sources said. During her six-hour long tour around the ancient site the President is scheduled to visit the world's tallest Shanti Stupa, the famous Asoka pillar at Kolhua and the birth place of Lord Mahavira among others, the sources said.

Mrs Patil would be the third President to visit the famous historical sites at Vaishaligarh after first President Dr Rajendra Prasad, who hailed from Bihar, and Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma.

Meanwhile, security is being tightened in and around all historial sites under the direct supervision of Vaishali District Magistrate and the Superintendet of Police. A large number of security forces would be deployed at all the places of her visit.

After a night halt at the Raj Bhavan here Mrs Patil would leave for New Delhi the next day.

Incidentally, her immediate predecessor A P J Abdul Kalam is also scheduled to arrive here on February eight on a day long visit to chair the first board meeting of the proposed Nalanda International University, expected to come up before this year end.

Dr Kalam, who had conceptualised the idea behind establishing eastern India's first global university, recently took over as its first 'Visitor' on the request of the chief minister. Mr Kumar has already allocated Rs eight crores from the state's planned budget for setting up the new university in line with the one that existed about five hundred years ago under the same name.

UNI