President  Droupadi Murmu arrived in Kochi this afternoon on a six-day tour of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep. She was received at the airport by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and senior officials of the State government. This is her maiden visit to Kerala and Lakshadweep after taking over as President of the country. The president will proceed to Naval Air Station INS Garuda. She will visit the indigenous built Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant at the Cochin Shipyard and will interact with the Officers and Sailors of the aircraft carrier.<br />''<br />''In the evening, President Murmu will award the President's Colours to INS Dronacharya, the gunnery school of the Indian Navyat Fort Kochi. She will also release a Special Cover to mark the occasion. Later, she will leave for Thiruvananthapuram, where she will stay overnight at a private hotel. On Friday morning, President  Murmu will visit the Mata Amrithanandamayi Math at Kollam. On her return to Thiruvananthapuram, she will attend a civic reception, besides inaugurating a couple of programmes, including Unnathi, a scheme for the comprehensive development of Scheduled Tribe Citizens. The President will be presented with the first copy of the technical engineering and diploma books translated into Malayalam, in line with the National Education Policy 2020.<br />''<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">On Saturday, she will visit  Vivekananda Smarak andThiruvallur Statue at Kanyakumari. She will return to Thiruvananthapuram the same day and later leave for Lakshadweep. On Sunday, the President will interact with Self-Help Groups at Kavaratti and will proceed to BangaramIsland.  She will return to New Delhi via Kochi on the 21st of March. </span>