Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday inaugurated a new ceremonial hall at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Also present at the occasion were Vice President M. Hamid Ansari and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, among other dignitaries.
After the inauguration and the lighting of the sacred lamp, the personages took a tour of the new building.
The newly inaugurated hall, which can reportedly house about 1,400 people, has been built as an extension of the existing auditorium. President Mukherjee is expected to use the hall for multiple purposes, including receptions on Independence Day and for giving visiting foreign dignitaries the guard of honour on days of rough weather.