Carl XVI Gustaf King of Sweden and his wife Queen Silvia arrived in Uttarkhand on Thursday to visit the Ram Jhula Bridge in Rishikesh and Bathing Ghat in Haridwar. The royal couple, who are on a five-day visit to India to strengthen bilateral ties, was received by Uttarakhand’s Protocol Minister Dhan Singh Rawat at the Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun. In keeping with the King’s interest to explore opportunities for Swedish companies in Namami Gange programme, he will also visit the Serai Sewage Treatment Plant in Haridwar for water treatment technologies later today, a statement said. Swedish companies are working on a pilot project in Mohali, where the stubble from the farms is being converted to bio-coal. On Wednesday, the Swedish couple took part in a cleanliness campaign at the Versova beach in Mumbai, along with young lawyer and Mumbai-based climate activist Afroz Shah. After completing her engagements there, the Swedish King and Queen returned to Delhi, where the two visited the United Nations office to attend a seminar on human trafficking in India and South Asia. Concluding their visit, the couple will emplane for New Delhi on Friday and thereafter will leave for Stockholm.
