PM to embark on 2-day Bengal visit on Sep 14 to inaugurate armed forces' conference next day

Kolkata, Sep 13 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a two-day visit to West Bengal on September 14 and inaugurate a combined commanders' conference of the armed forces in Kolkata the next day, officials said on Saturday.

This will be the PM's second visit to Kolkata in less than a month.

The conference, which will be held from September 15 to 17, will also be attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and several other dignitaries, they said.

Modi will reach Kolkata on Sunday evening from Jorhat in Assam and stay the night at the Raj Bhavan here.

The PM will inaugurate the combined commanders' conference on September 15 morning at the Indian Army's Eastern Command headquarters, Vijay Durg, the erstwhile Fort William, the officials said.

The combined commanders' conference is the apex brainstorming forum of the armed forces, bringing together the nation's top civil and military leadership to exchange views at the conceptual and strategic levels.

It will focus on reforms, transformation and operational preparedness of the armed forces, they said.

The PM will depart from Kolkata on Monday afternoon for Purnea in Bihar, they said.

Modi, during his last visit to Kolkata on August 22, laid the foundation stones and inaugurated multiple development projects worth over Rs 5,200 crore in West Bengal.

After inaugurating three Metro Railway lines in the city at that time, Modi had also taken a ride from Noapara to Jai Hind Airport station, during which he interacted with school children and Metro construction workers. PTI AMR BDC