President Ram Nath Kovind attends anniversary celebrations of

: President Ramnath Kovind Friday participated in the 18th anniversary celebrations of Swarna Bharat Trust here, a non-governmental organisation launched by Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu.

He witnessed a few cultural programmes presented by students.

Started in Nellore, Venkaiah Naidu's native district in the year 2000, the Trust has now spread its activities to Vijayawada and Hyderabad.

It works mostly in the area of rural development with thrust on healthcare, farmers' welfare, women empowerment and skill development among youth.

Earlier, the President flew down to Venkatachalam village, the native place of Venkaiah Naidu, in a special IAF helicopter from Chennai.

After spending some time in the Vice-President's ancestral home, Kovind visited Akshara School run by Swarna Bharat Trust and interacted with the students.

Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan, state ministers P Narayana, N Amarnath Reddy, S C Reddy, SPS Nellore district Collector R Mutyala Raju and others received the President and the First Lady on their arrival from Chennai.