President Droupadi Murmu on Friday flagged off the Mount Kanchenjunga Expedition-2023 by handing over the national flag and ice-axe baton to the leader of a team of the Assam Mountaineering Association.
During the second day of her Assam visit, the President extended her best wishes to the seven-member team led by Manas Barua, as they will attempt to scale the third-highest mountain in the world.
Speaking on the occasion, Murmu said the Kanchenjunga was a beautiful creation of nature and she was pleased to bless the team.
"I am sure that this mission will be successful and will inspire many mountaineers in the future to scale greater heights," she said. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is the chef de mission of the expedition, welcomed the President with the traditional 'Gamosa'.
Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, officials and members of the association were also present on the occasion. The expedition is being sponsored by the state Directorate of Sports and Youth Welfare.
Besides Barua, other members of the team are medical officer Dr Jagadish Basumatary, deputy leader Upen Chakraborty, Koushik Das, Bhaskar Barua, Jayanta Nath and Shekhar Bordoloi.
The team members will leave for the expedition on April 11. They will trek to the base camp at 5,200 metres and are expected to reach there by April 20. The team will attempt to reach the top between May 13 to 18.
