President dedicates Rashtrapati Bhavan museum to nation

President Pranab Mukherjee dedicated the Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum to the Nation in a ceremony presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said "I hereby dedicate the Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum to the nation. I am sure this Museum will enable the people of our nation obtain an inside view of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, its art, architecture and vibrant community as well as educate them on the lives of various Presidents."

Other dignitaries who attended the function were Dr. Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister of India; Raj Nath Singh, Union Minister for Home Affairs; M. Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Parliamentary Affairs; Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Minister for Human Resource Development; Najeeb Jung, Lt. Governor of Delhi; Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha; Dr. Karan Singh, Chairman, ICCR and senior officials of the Government. The President, Prime Minister and other dignitaries toured the Museum after the ceremony.

A Rashtrapati Bhawan press communique said that the President also inaugurated a Knowledge Hub in the Dr. Rajendra Prasad Sarvodaya Vidyalaya within Rashtrapati Bhavan and Sixteen Serviced Apartments which will enable an expansion of Rashtrapati Bhavan's In-Residence programme for innovators, artists and writers.

The Knowledge Hub is a space for innovative teaching/learning practices that engages students actively in their own learning and construction of knowledge.

It will nurture and fuel the imagination and creativity of students at a young age. The use of collaborative, interactive pedagogical practices will help teachers connect to the world outside their classroom, engage with real-world issues and foster 21st century skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and communication that students need to thrive in a knowledge economy.

Going beyond the classroom, the Knowledge Hub will also work with the local community in the President's Estate and empower them with the skills of digital literacy and basic entrepreneurship, enabling them to drive their personal growth and enhance their livelihoods.

Later in the day, the President also launched a mobile application for Rashtrapati Bhavan, a new design for the President of India website and a video film on the important events of the second year of the Presidency.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said the newly designed website with enhanced features of easy accessibility, mobile-friendliness and additional online services will be helpful to the citizens.