PM to hold first official meet with Benin prez after surgery

Five weeks after undergoing bypass surgery, prime minister Manmohan Singh will have his first official engagement on Wednesday when he holds talks with president of Benin Boni Yayi here.

Singh will hold delegation-level discussions with the leader of the West African nation and oversee signing of some agreements, officials said here on Tuesday. The talks will take place at the prime minister's residence and not the Hyderabad House, which is the usual venue for such events.

The prime minister has been attending to urgent official work from home but the talks with president of Benin will mark his first official engagement. 76-year-old Singh underwent a 'redo' coronary artery bypass surgery to remove five blockages in his heart at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on January 24 and has since been recuperating.

His condition has been showing significant improvement and post-operative tests have been positive.