Economic growth, social development possible only where law upheld: Prez

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday said that economic growth and social development are possible only where the rule of law is upheld.

Without maintaining law and order, ensuring justice and protecting citizens' rights, progress becomes a meaningless term, she said addressing a group of Indian Police Service (IPS) probationers, who had called on her at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

"One category of crime I would like to highlight here is crimes against women. While it is a complex phenomenon with its roots deep in a sick mindset as well as sickening social prejudices, it is, first of all, a crime. Therefore, fighting it requires action at many levels, but the first response comes from the police force," Murmu said.

She said that police officers working on these cases are expected to have exceptional sensitivity, empathy for the victim besides utmost commitment to the task of ensuring justice.

The president said police officers working on cases of crime against women are "expected to have exceptional sensitivity and empathy for the victim and utmost commitment to the task of ensuring justice".

She said law and order is not only the bedrock of governance but also the very basis of the modern state, and asked the officers to be efficient, sympathetic, fearless as well as friendly.

Murmu said police officers' roles become more crucial as India aims to scale new heights in the years to come.

"Economic growth and social development are possible only where the rule of law is upheld. Without maintaining law and order, ensuring justice and protecting citizens' rights, progress becomes a meaningless term," the president said.

She asked the police officers to be tech-savvy and stay a step ahead of the criminals.

Maintenance of law and order, crime prevention and detection as well as other aspects of policing have benefited from advances in technology, the president said.

"The flip side, however, is that criminals and terrorists too have resorted to using technology. When cyber-crimes and cyber warfare are rising around the world, you will be expected to be tech-savvy and stay a step ahead of the criminals," Murmu said.

The president expressed happiness over the rise in the number of women officers in the IPS.

"I am told that in this batch there are 54 lady officers out of the total strength of 188. At 28.72 per cent, it is a sharp jump from last year's numbers as well as the average of recent years," she said.

Murmu said that the role of lady officers goes much beyond addressing gender-based crimes.

"Their increasing numbers can change the overall character of policing for the better, improve the police-community relations, and will prove beneficial to the nation too," the president said, addressing the IPS probationers of the 76 Regular Recruits (2023) batch.

She also advised the officers to make yoga a part of their routine and not ignore their mental well-being.

"I have spoken about the great responsibilities placed on your shoulders. These can sometimes be too stressful. I would like to offer you a word of advice in this regard.

"Never ignore your mental well-being. Make yoga, 'pranayama' and relaxation techniques part of your routine from now, and they will help you do your job better," Murmu said.

"The S' in IPS' stands for service", she said, and added that "one watchword above all is to serve the nation and its citizens".