India all set to own 21st century: Ram Nath Kovind

New Delhi, July 24

Outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday said he was confident that the country was getting equipped to make the 21st century its own.

At 12 Janpath, he’ll be Sonia Gandhi’s neighbour

• Kovind will shift into his new residence 12 Janpath on Monday
• It’s a stone’s throw from Cong chief Sonia Gandhi’s 10 Janpath
• Among largest in Lutyens, was earlier allotted to late Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan

Murmu to take oath as 15th President today

President-elect Droupadi Murmu will take oath as the 15th head of the Indian Republic on Monday morning, an event to be followed by a 21-gun salute.

Twitter marks oppn videos ‘out of context’

After AAP’s Sanjay Singh and Congress’ Rohan Gupta tweeted videos, claiming the PM disregarded a greeting by Kovind, BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya was quick to post the entire video which showed the PM had greeted Kovind. So Twitter marked such videos as out-of-context media.

In his farewell address to the nation, Kovind said the National Education Policy and the renewed focus on healthcare along with economic reforms “will let citizens find the best course for their lives”.

At the same time, he quoted Dr BR Ambedkar’s concluding remarks in the Constituent Assembly to sound a note of caution about the kind of democracy the nation should pursue. “India must not be content with mere political democracy as it cannot progress without social democracy,” he said.

Describing social democracy as a way of life which recognises the trinity of liberty, equality and fraternity as the principles of life, Kovind said, “To divorce one from the other is to defeat the very purpose of democracy. The trinity of ideals mustn’t be mistaken for abstractions. They are real and they can be realised.” The President also invoked Mahatma Gandhi and urged everyone to contemplate his life and teachings for a few minutes every day.

Turning wistful, Kovind said the fact that someone like him, who lived in a mud house as a boy, became the President of India testified to the strength of India’s democracy that created pathways for everyone.

“The connection with roots is the essence of India,” he said, asking the younger generation to stay connected with their villages or towns, schools and teachers.

Kovind also pointed out the climate crisis could endanger the very future of this planet. “In our daily lives and routine choices, we must be more careful to protect our trees, rivers, seas and mountains as well as all other living beings,” he said.

Meanwhile, Twitter marked videos featuring Ram Nath Kovind and Narendra Modi during the former’s farewell event in Parliament as out-of-context media. AAP’s Sanjay Singh and Congress’ Rohan Gupta tweeted purported videos, claiming the PM disregarded a greeting by Kovind. BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya was quick to post the entire video which showed the PM greeted Kovind when the latter was meeting the leaders before leaving after the event on Saturday.