French President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Chandigarh on Sunday, January 24, to kick-start the former’s three-day visit to India.
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Paris: French President François Hollande is to ask parliament to extend the state of emergency imposed following the November Paris attacks for three months, one of France’s party leaders said Friday.
The French president is expected to reach Chandigarh on Sunday afternoon, where Modi will receive him. “We will build on the ground covered during our previous interactions”, he added.
The city has virtually turned into a fortress, with personnel from Punjab, Haryana and para-military forces have been deployed in the city as security experts have assessed a threat.
Hollande will visit “Rock Garden” where he will be received by Modi.
They arrived at the agreement on the 36 aircraft buyout during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France a year ago.
The duo will join CEOs from France and India at a business summit where at least 25 business heads from both the countries will attend the summit.
Hollande will be accorded a ceremonial reception at the forecourts of Rashtrapati Bhawan on Monday.
The Republic Day in India marks the date when India’s new republican constitution came into force in 1950.
India launched a nationwide security crackdown in the lead up to Republic Day celebrations, arresting a string of suspected Islamic militants during raids in four states.
Indian officials said, this year French soldiers will march along with Indian troops during the republic day function.
Security will be high on the agenda after deadly Islamist attacks in Paris in November that evoked memories of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which left 166 people dead, and a deadly assault earlier this month on India’s Pathankok air base. It covers number of sectors such as defence, civil nuclear cooperation, railways, smart cities, science and research, space and culture.
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The French Ambassador to India had recently visited the city in preparation for the president’s visit.
