Bangalore: President Pratibha Patil arrived here Friday on a three-day visit to the state to participate in a series of official functions.

Karnataka’s new chief minister S.V. Sadananda Gowda, city mayor Sharadamma and a host of officials received Patil at the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) airport. She was escorted to Raj Bhavan in city centre under tight security by restricting vehicular traffic movement on the eight km thoroughfare enroute.

‘The president’s first engagement in the city is an interactive session in Raj Bhavan late Friday on dryland agriculture facilitated by the University of Agriculture Sciences (UAS),’ an official spokesman told IANS.

Agricultural scientists, administrators and representatives from the corporate sector will participate in the session.

The president will deliver the 45th convocation address of the UAS Saturday and confer 117 gold medals on meritorious students while the governor will confer degrees on 656 graduating students.

‘The farm varsity has 23 research stations in 17 districts across the state and developed six varieties in four different crops for commercial cultivation,’ UAS vice-chancellor K. Narayana Gowda told reporters here.

The president will preside over the golden jubilee celebrations of the Karnataka State Bar Council late Saturday in the Central College auditorium.

‘The president will address students at the 19th annual convocation of the National Law School of India University in the banquet hall of Vidhana Soudha (state secretariat) Sunday,’ the spokesman said.

Union Corporate Affairs Minister M. Veerappa Moily, Supreme Court judge Altamus Kabir and Karnataka High Court chief justice J.S. Kehar will also be present at the law varsity function.