President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday addressed the special session of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly in Shimla. President Ram Nath Kovind will be the third President after APJ Abdul Kalam and Pranab Mukherjee to address the state legislative assembly.

Addressing the special session of the Assembly,  the President hailed Himachal Pradesh's contribution to armed forces, saying he ''salutes the brave soldiers from the state'' who are serving the nation. He said that Major Somnath Sharma from the state was the first recipient of the prestigious Param Vir Chakra.

President noted that as many as 1.20 lakh soldiers from Himachal Pradesh are presently serving the nation. “Being the head of the defence forces, I salute all the brave soldiers of Himachal Pradesh for serving the nation,” he said. In his 18-minute address, the president also said that the entire state should become 'Sirmaur' in terms of development in the entire country. ‘Sirmaur’, meaning crown, is one of the districts of Himachal Pradesh.

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur has also present at  Shimla to participate in the special session of the state assembly. Anurag Thakur is among the five MPs from Himachal who have been specially invited to attend the session. The President will also attend a cultural program and a banquet to be hosted by the Governor in President’s honor today evening.

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