Prime Minister to attend VB convocation

Santiniketan, Nov 14 (UNI) Prime Minister Dr Monmohan Singh for the first time will address a convocation of Visva Bharati as its Chancellor on December six.

Announcing this after a confirmation received from the PMO today, Visva Bharati officials said the Prime Minister will also confer ''Desikottama'', the highest award of this university, on eight luminaries during the convocation.

Those to be awarded included former Bhutan King Jigme Singhe Wangchuk, economist Amlan Dutta, dramatist Habib Tanvir, historian Irfan Habib, artist K G Subramaniam and social worker Devi Prasad.

The convocations for 2005 and 2006 will be held simultaneously.

Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the last Prime Minister, who addressed a convocation here in 1998-99.

Mr Singh before coming here will visit Malda.

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