President to open library to mark one year in office

Inauguration of a public library and unveiling a statue of Mahatma Gandhi are some of the activities being organised by Rashtrapati Bhawan Thursday to mark President Pranab Mukherjee's one year in office.

The president will also interact with governors across the country through a video conferencing facility installed at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and host a dinner for the council of ministers.

The library building was a dilapidated structure which was scheduled for demolition. It was renovated into a public library for use by residents of the Rashtrapati Bhavan estate and their children.

The statue of Gandhi has been made by 89-year-old Ram Sutar of Maharashtra.

Sutar, who was born into the family of a poor carpenter, is considered a master of stone, marble and bronze sculpturing. He was given the Padmashree in 1999.

A video - 'The Presidency: Glimpses of First Year' - will be added to the President of India web site.

A catalogue of 1,525 old and rare books of the Rashtrapati Bhavan is being added to the web site for information along with select portions of the audio-visual section of the library.

The audio-visual section includes historical speeches, newsreels and documentaries. These have been procured from sources such as AIR and Films Division.