NEW DELHI :
PRESIDENT Droupadi Murmu on
Thursday said the Ram Temple will be
marked in history as “India’s continued
re-discovery of its civilisational heritage”
and as a grand edifice, giving a befitting
expression not only of people’s faith but
also as a testament to people’s enormous trust in judicial process.
In her address to the nation on the eve
of the 75th Republic Day, the President
spoke on various issues including the
welfare schemes initiated by the
Government and said it will be a proud
day for the nation when it will be among
those countries where homelessness “is
a rarity”.
She also touched on the conflicts that
have emerged in several parts of the
world and stressed at finding a way out
in the light of reason.
“When each of the two conflicting
sides believes that it is right and the other is wrong, the way out should be found
in the light of reason. Unfortunately,
instead of reason, fears and prejudices
have fuelled passions, leading to relentless violence.
There have been a series
of humanitarian tragedies on a large
scale, and we feel aggrieved over the
human suffering,” she said.
Citing the teachings of Vardhaman
Mahavir, Samrat Ashoka and Mahatma
Gandhi, the President said let’s hope that
the regions embroiled in conflicts will
find a peaceful way to resolve conflicts
and bring about peace.
Referring to the recent consecration
rituals of Lord Ram at the newly-constructed temple at Ayodhya, she said
when this event will be seen in the wider
perspective, the future historians will
consider it a landmark in India’s continued re-discovery of its civilisational
heritage. “The construction of the temple commenced after the due judicial
process and the decision of the highest
court of the land. Now it stands as a
grand edifice, giving a befitting expression not only of people’s faith but also
as a testament to people’s enormous
trust in the judicial process,” she said.
Murmu said the “magnificent” G20
Summit hosted by India provided lessons for all in making citizens participants in strategic and diplomatic matters that are, in the final analysis, going
to shape their own future.
“The G20 Summit also
boosted India’s emergence
as the voice of the Global
South, adding a necessary
element to the international discourse,” she said.
Talking about the economy of the country, she said
India is moving ahead with
confidence, which comes
from and is also reflected by
the robust health of the economy.
Emphasising that the
nation is in the early years of
Amrit Kaal, the period leading to the centenary of
Independence, whichis also
the timeof anepochal transformation,Murmu asked citizens to abide by fundamental duties enshrined in
the Constitution.
“These duties are essential obligations of every citizen towards making Bharat
a developed nation when it
completes 100 years ofindependence. Here, I think of
Mahatma Gandhi who had
rightly said,‘No people have
risen who thought only of
rights. Onlythose didsowho
thought of duties’.”
She said the period of Amrit
Kaal is also going to be the
period of unprecedented
technological changes.
“Technological advances
like Artificial Intelligence and
machine learning have
moved from headlines into
our daily lives at a breathtaking speed.
There are
numerous areas of concern
in the foresee able future,but
there area lso exciting opportunities ahead,especially for
the youth. They are exploring new frontiers,” she said.
The President said we have
to remove hurdles from the
path of youth and let them
unleash their full potential.
“What they want is equality of opportunity.Whatthey
want is not the same old rhetoric of equality, but the realisation of our cherished ideal of equality,” she said.
Underlining the welfare
schemes launched by the
Government, Murmu said
the Government has not only
expandedand enhanced the
welfare schemes, but it has
als orede fined the idea of welfare itself.