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Clinton will see panchayati raj in action in Rajasthan village

Kamla Bora in Jaipur

US President Bill Clinton is to see panchayati raj in action during his stay in Jaipur.

He is scheduled to visit village Nayala, about 15 kilometres from Jaipur, and interact with elected village body representatives, particularly women panchas and sarpanchas, to find how the lowest ladder of democracy functions in India.

Clinton, along with his daughter Chelsea, is scheduled to arrive here on March 23 after a brief stopover in Agra where he will visit the Taj Mahal.

After an overnight stay at the Oberoi-run Raj Vilas palace hotel here, his first engagement next day will be the visit to Nayala village. He will stay there for an hour and chat with villagers and their representatives in the local panchayat.

The elected representatives of the local panchayat, elections to which were held only last month, are already preparing for the big day.

After visiting Nayala, Clinton will go to the historic Amber fort where he is to have a traditional royal welcome.

In the sprawling courtyard of the fort, atop a hill, a bazar is being specially set up, where old and traditional handicrafts experts will exhibit and sell artefacts.

It is yet not decided whether Clinton will go there riding an elephant or visit the fort, more conventionally, in a car. Most foreign visitors enjoy the elephant ride at Amber.

From Amber he is scheduled to fly by helicopter to Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve in Sawai Madhopur district to spend two-and-a-half hours in the wild looking for tigers roaming free in their natural habitat. Former director of Project Tiger Fateh Singh is likely to be his guide.

Clinton will spend his second night too at the Raj Vilas hotel, which is a replica of a Rajput fort, giving him a taste of the lifestyle of the erstwhile princes.

The regal ambience of the recreated Rajasthani fort includes rambling gardens, pools and fountains with ramparts, chhatris, engraved marble and water filled moats spread over 32 acres of land surrounded by vast open spaced filled with birds, including peacocks. From there Clinton will fly to Hyderabad.

About 150 truckloads of goods have already arrived here from America, which is described as the baggage of the US president and his team of 250.

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