Kiran Bedi to be sworn-in as LG of Puducherry today

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi will be sworn-in as the Lt. Governor of Puducherry today.

The post is lying vacant since the exit of Veerendra Kataria in July 2014. Lt. General AK Singh, presently the LG of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, was holding the additional charge of Puducherry till now.

Bedi said that her focus at the moment is to put the Union Territory on the tourist map of India, as it is a great destination and deserves no less attention than Goa, or any other popular tourist spot in the country.

"It's all about taking Puducherry to greater prosperity and putting it on the tourist map of India. Puducherry deserves it, no less than Goa. Puducherry was part of my Union Territory cadre as a police officer and I always longed to come here because Puducherry was a great destination," Bedi told ANI.

Asserting that she was to see a prosperous Puducherry in all respects including tourism, agriculture, health and fisheries, Bedi said that the Union Territory had amazing resources and the potential to become a great tourist destination.

Bedi, the first woman IPS officer in the country, is a recipient of Ramon Magsaysay Award for her contribution in building positive relationship between police and the people. She is the fourth woman incumbent in Puducherry Raj Nivas.

Her appointment acquires added significance as a new government is going to take oath in the Union Territory in a couple of days.