Brasília - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will spend the day in the state of Tocantins, where he will visit four municipalities.

At 9:30 am, he will be in Aparecida do Rio Negro visiting work on the BR-010 highway, which runs from Aparecida to the city of Goiatins in the state of Maranhão.

At the end of the morning, in the capital city of Palmas, accompanied by the minister of Health, Saraiva Felipe, Lula will inagurate a communications center (Complexo de Comunicações das Organizações Jaime Câmara) and the General Hospital of Palmas Francisco Ayres. During the ceremony at the hospital, Lula will also launch a program for orthopedic and trauma support (programa Suporte em Ortopedia e Traumatologia). The president will also symbolically deliver equipment and vehicles for the Unified Health System in the state. During the event, representatives of Tocantins will sign an order enrolling the state in the government's Small Hospital Plan (Política Nacional para os Hospitais de Pequeno Porte).

Then Lula will travel by helicopter to the hydroelectric power plant Peixe Angical, accompanied by minister of Mines and Energy, Silas Rondeau. The plant is on the Tocantins River and when it is fully operational, in October 2006, it will generate sufficient energy for a city of 4 million. The power plant will cost R$1.7 billion.

Finally, Lula will travel to Gurupi where, at 5:00 pm, he will inaugurate a 60-kilometer stretch of highway, on the BR-153, which has been repaired.

Lula is scheduled to arrive back in Brasilia at 6:50 pm.

Translator: Allen Bennett