The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind leads the nation in celebrating Constitution Day today; Day celebrated in the Central Hall of Parliament House


            The President of India,along with theVice- President,  thePrime Minister, the Speaker, Lok Sabha, Ministers, MPs and other dignitaries, led the celebrations of the Constitution Day, 2021 from the Central Hall of Parliament House.


            Addressing the gathering, The President said that Parliament is at the apex of India’s democratic system. All MPs gather here to discuss issues related to public interest along with making laws. In fact, the elected representatives of the Gram Sabha, the Vidhan Sabha and the Parliament should have only one priority. That singular priority lies in working for the welfare of all the people of their constituencies and for the interest of the nation. He said that there may be differences of opinion, but no difference should be so great as to hinder the real purpose of public service. It is natural for members of the ruling party and the opposition to compete – but this competition should be about being better representatives and doing better things for the public good. Only then will it be considered healthy competition. Competition in Parliament should not be confused with rivalry. We all believe that our Parliament is a ‘Temple of Democracy’. Therefore, it becomes the responsibility of every parliamentarian to conduct themselves in this temple of democracy with the same spirit of reverence with which they do in their places of worship.


The President was joined by the public across the country as he read the Preamble to the Constitution, as part of the celebrations. The president also launched the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry’s  portal on “Online Quiz on Constitutional Democracy” today.  Link:-  https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1775278


                The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, in his address asserted that with the Constitution of India requiring the country to be a democratic republic, legislatures of the country should be guided by ‘dialogue and debate’ and should not be rendered dysfunctional through persistent disruptions. He expressed concern over steady decline in the productivity of the Rajya Sabha. Shri Naidu elaborated on the disjunction between the spirit and provisions of the Constitution and the actual practice.   Link:-   https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1775291




          In his address, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, noted that our constitution is not just a collection of many articles, our constitution is a great tradition of millennia. This is a modern expression of that unbroken stream. The Prime Minister said Constitution Day should also be celebrated because our path should constantly be evaluated whether it is right or not.


Elaborating on the spirit behind celebrating the ‘Constitution Day’, the Prime Minister said it was during the 125th birth anniversary of BabasahebAmbedkar, “we all felt that what could be a greater auspicious occasion than the gift that BabasahebAmbedkar had given to this country, we should always remember his contribution in the form of a memory book (SmritGranth)”. He said it would have been better if along with establishing the tradition of Republic Day on 26th January, ‘Constitution Day’ was also established on 26th November at that time itself.


The Prime Minister said in the form of family-based parties, India is heading towards a kind of a crisis, which is a matter of concern for the people devoted to the Constitution, a matter of concern for those who believe in democracy. he said “more than one person from a family joining the party on the basis of merit does not make the party dynastic. Problems arise when a party is run by the same family, generation after generation.” The Prime Minister lamented that the spirit of the Constitution has also been hurt, every section of the Constitution has also been hurt, when political parties lose their democratic character themselves. “How can the parties which have lost their democratic character protect democracy?,” he questioned Link:-    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1775257  


Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla said, the Constitution of India is like a modern version of  ‘The Gita’ for us that motivates us to work for the nation. If each one of us commits to working for the country then we can build ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’.


Speaking on the occasion, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Pralhad Joshi welcomed the dignitaries present there and greeted the Public of this great Country on the auspicious occasion of Constitution Day. He said that under the guidance of Prime Minister , Shri Narendra Modi ji, in 2015, it was decided to start celebrating 26th November as the ‘Constitution Day’. He stated that today, the whole nation and Indians across the world would join Hon’ble President in reading the Preamble to the Constitution after conclusion of his speech.


AzadikaAmritMahotsav is an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate the75 years of progressive India and the glorious history of it’s people, culture and achievements.  As part of this Mahotsav, today’s main  event was held with great fervour and gaiety in the Central Hall of Parliament House.




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M.V./S.K.S




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President Shri Ram Nath Kovind approves Gallantry & other decorations for ICG personnel on the eve of Independence Day 2021

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED/BROADCAST OR USED ON SOCIAL MEDIA BEFORE AUGUST 15, 2021, 0001 HRS

Key Highlights:

·      President approves four awards for conspicuous gallantry & meritorious service to ICG personnel

·      One Tatrakshak Medal (Gallantry)

·      Three Tatrakshak Medal (Meritorious Service)

On the occasion of 75th Independence Day 2021, President Shri Ram Nath Kovind has awarded one Tatrakshak Medal (Gallantry) and three Tatrakshak Medal (Meritorious Service) to the following Indian Coast Guard personnel for their act of conspicuous gallantry and meritorious service. The detailed list of the awardees is as follows:

(A)     Tatrakshak Medal (Gallantry)

(i)          Commandant (JG) Sankar Raju (1595-X) 

(B)     Tatrakshak Medal (Meritorious Service)

(i)      DIG Anil Kumar Telmogaru (0224-J)

(ii)         DIG Sundaram Babu Venkatesh (0330-X)

(iii)       Harvinder Singh, P/Adh (WTR), 01133-Z

ABB/Nampi/DK/RP/Savvy

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Hindi


President Shri Ram Nath Kovind graces valedictory function of Aero India 2021;

Curtains came down on the mega three-day international event Aero India 2021 on February 05, 2021 in Bengaluru where 201 Memoranda of Understanding, product launches and technology transfers were concluded to provide further impetus to the aerospace and defence industry of the country. The valedictory function was graced by President Shri Ram Nath Kovind and First Lady Smt Savita Kovind.

Over 600 exhibitors attended physically and another 108 in virtual mode. Around 3,000 Business-2-Business meetings were conducted during the event and representatives from 63 foreign countries were in attendance. The 13th edition of Aero India in its 25th year was organised amidst COVID-19 challenges as the world’s first ever hybrid defence and aerospace exhibition with no public days and a concurrent virtual exhibition.

In his address President Ram Nath Kovind said, India is not just a market, but a land of immense opportunities for the whole world, including in the defence sector. He added that the government has taken a number of policy initiatives aimed at placing India among the top nations in the defence sector with twin objectives of self-reliance and export promotion. The President said that the government is focused on promoting the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ to encourage manufacturers to set up units in India. The President said that the reforms initiated in India in the last six years offer unprecedented opportunities to investors and private companies in the defence and aerospace sectors. 

The President said that Aero India 2021 is a living proof of India’s ever-growing strength in the defence and aerospace sectors at the global level. The event has exhibited that the global confidence in India’s capabilities is growing steadily. Referring to the Conclave of Defence Ministers of Indian Ocean Region (IOR), on the theme of ‘Enhanced Peace, Security, and Co-operation in the Indian Ocean’, which was organised on the margins of Aero India 2021, the President said that India has always been an ardent advocate of universal peace and development. It is important that IOR nations focus on fostering political, economic, cultural and defence co-operation, he added.

Earlier in his address, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh said Aero India offered a unique platform to Indian private and public sector industry and global original equipment manufacturers to forge partnerships and showcase products to potential customers. He added that despite the COVID-19 challenges, Aero India was successful in attracting 16,000 visitors physically and close to 5 lakh people virtually. He said the large number of MoUs concluded during the event and orders of over Rs 203 crores bagged by MSMEs were an indication of the exhibition’s success. He emphasised that it also carries positive implications for safety and security, not just of India, but the entire region.

Raksha Mantri informed that the first ever IOR Defence Ministers’ Conclave was attended by ministers and delegates from 26 countries. He said that discussions focused on synergising efforts of IOR countries in the Indian ocean and expressed belief that there would be a higher level of cooperation amongst IOR countries on peace and security in the future. A conclave of Chiefs of Air Staff was also organised to pursue the objectives of collaborative security for the region and beyond. He also referred to the iDEX ‘Start-up Manthan’, the 6th India-Russia Military Industrial Conference and said various seminars held on wide ranging themes would help in achieving twin objectives of Atmanirbharata and Defence exports. Shri Rajnath Singh reiterated that Aero India 2021 would help in achieving the target of a turnover of Rs 1,75,000 crore, including exports of Rs 35,000 crore in aerospace and defence goods & services by the year 2024. He said that in the last few years the Armed Forces had given significant support to the mission of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and played an important role in promoting domestic industry.

Raksha Mantri reiterated that ‘self-reliance’ does not mean isolation from the world or act as a closed economy but promotes globalisation by making India a more competitive player on the global stage and inviting the global companies. He said that India will invest around 130 billion US dollars towards enhancing security by military modernisation in the next 7-8 years.

Shri Rajnath Singh concluded his address by thanking officials of the Ministry of Defence, the state administration led by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa who was present in the function, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and other officials who worked in organising the event.

In his welcome address, Secretary (Defence Production) Shri Raj Kumar said Aero India 2021 offered a unique opportunity to showcase India’s manufacturing prowess and progress towards the vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.

The gathering at the valedictory were treated to a spectacular flying display by the amazing pilots of the Indian Air Force.

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria, Ministers and Members of Parliament from Karnataka, Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy and senior civil and military officials of Ministry of Defence & Government of Karnataka were also present on the occasion.