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Indian President
President Droupadi Murmu on Friday said amid today's unprecedented global challenges, the ancient philosophy of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (the world is one family) is more relevant than ever. Murmu was speaking at the launch of the Brahma Kumaris' annual theme for 2025-26 -- 'Meditation for World Unity and Trust' -- here. "India's ancient civilisation and rich cultural heritage have always embodied the timeless principle of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'. In today's world, which is facing uncertainties and global challenges, it is a message that becomes more relevant," the President said. Today humans are more educated and technologically advanced than ever, with numerous opportunities to progress. Yet, alongside this advancement, society grapples with rising stress, mental insecurity, mistrust and loneliness. "The need of the hour is not just to move forward, but also to look within oneself," Murmu said.
President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday departed for a six-day state visit to Angola and Botswana as part of India's efforts to open up new avenues for collaboration and expanding partnership with the two countries in the African region. This will be the first-ever state visit by an Indian head of state to these countries. In the first leg of her journey, Murmu will reach the Angolan capital of Luanda and hold high-level engagements between November 8 and 11. She will be in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, from November 11 to 13. Murmu will hold bilateral talks with her Angolan counterpart Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco and attend the 50th anniversary celebrations of the African nation's independence. She is also scheduled to address the Angolan parliament and interact with members of the Indian community in that country. India and Angola are also celebrating the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic ties this year. "India and Angola enjoy very close ties of friendship and coopera
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid floral tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the Statue of Unity in Gujarat on the 150th birth anniversary of India's first home minister. The birth anniversary of Patel is being celebrated as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) on October 31 since 2014, when Modi became the prime minister for the first time. Modi arrived at Patel's 182-metre-tall statue, near Ekta Nagar in Gujarat's Narmada district in the morning and paid his respects to the Iron Man of India by offering flower petals. He then left for a nearby venue where he is scheduled to administer the Ekta Diwas pledge to the gathering and witness Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade. This year's Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations will include a cultural festival and the National Unity Day parade by police and paramilitary forces. The Rashtriya Ekta Diwas Parade, a major attraction of the celebrations, features contingents from paramilitary forces like the BSF and CRPF, and various
President Droupadi Murmu undertook a sortie in a Rafale fighter jet from the Air Force Station in Haryana's Ambala on Wednesday. Air Chief Marshal A P Singh also flew in a sperate aircraft from the same airbase. Before getting on to the Rafale jet, the President wore a G-suit. Murmu, who was holding a helmet in her hand and wearing sun glasses, also posed for pictures with the pilot. Shortly before the aircraft took off at 11.27 am, the President waved from inside the jet. The President was also accorded a ceremonial guard of honour after she arrived at the Air Force Station this morning. Rafale jets were used during Operation Sindoor, launched by India in response to the April 22 dastardly Pahalgam terror attack. In April 2023, Murmu, the supreme commander of the Indian armed forces has undertaken a sortie in Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Tezpur Air Force Station, Assam. Former presidents A P J Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil had undertaken sorties in Sukhoi-30 MKI figh
President Droupadi Murmu on Friday said that the active participation of women was necessary for the country to leverage its demographic dividend and achieve the vision of a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047. Murmu, speaking at the centenary celebrations of St Teresa's College here, also said that a society led by women leaders is likely to be more humane while also being more efficient. She pointed out that the Gender Budget allocation has increased by four and a half times over the last decade and that women-led MSMEs have nearly doubled in number between 2011 and 2024. "One of the key pillars for achieving the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047 is reaching 70 per cent women workforce participation. Women from different socio-economic segments have been driving India's progress," the President said. She further stated that Kerala has the most favourable gender ratio in the country and that it "can be emulated by other states." The president noted that women from Kerala hav
President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday unveiled the bust of former President, the late K R Narayanan, on the premises of Kerala Raj Bhavan here. The bust, erected to honour the first Indian President from the Dalit community, was unveiled in the presence of former President Ram Nath Kovind, Bihar Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, an official release said. In a brief speech following the ceremony, the President said that Narayanan's life is a story of courage, perseverance, and self-belief. "Through immense dedication and the power of education, he went on to occupy the highest constitutional office of our nation. His academic excellence was a symbol of what determination and opportunity can accomplish when guided by purpose," Murmu said. She said that before entering politics, Narayanan built a distinguished career in the Indian Foreign Service. He upheld India's values of peace, justice, and cooperation wit
The Congress-led Karnataka government on Tuesday asserted before the Supreme Court that under the constitutional scheme, the President and governors are only "titular heads" and are bound to act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers, both at the Centre and in the states. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice BR Gavai was told by senior advocate Gopal Subramanian, appearing for the Karnataka government, that Article 361 of the Constitution grants immunity to the President and the governor from any criminal proceedings, as they do not perform any executive function. Referring to various verdicts of the apex court, Subramanian told a bench also comprising Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, PS Narasimha and AS Chandurkar that the satisfaction of governor required for acting on bills passed by assembly, is the satisfaction of the council of ministers. Resuming his argument on the eighth day of hearing on the Presidential reference on whether the court could .
President Droupadi Murmu on Monday said India should leverage its exceptional capabilities to turn the challenges of global trade into new opportunities. Addressing the platinum jubilee of the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC), she pointed out that India's engineering export destinations have changed significantly over the last seven decades. EEPC should continue this process of change and keep working to make India's economy stronger with the spirit of 'Nation First', said the President. She said "the challenges of global trade need to be turned into opportunities by utilising the exceptional capabilities available in our country". She observed that high-quality engineering services and products at low cost are a great strength of India. The President observed that in the last 10 years, India's engineering exports have increased from USD 70 billion to more than USD 115 billion. Murmu said this growth in exports seems even more impressive when "we consider that there hav
Electronic voting machines (EVMs), which have so far been used in five Lok Sabha and over 130 assembly polls, cannot be used in presidential, vice presidential, Rajya Sabha and state legislative council elections. Why? Because the machines, in use since 2004, are designed to work as vote aggregators in direct elections such as the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. Voters press the button against the name of the candidate of their choice and the one who bags the maximum number of votes is declared elected. But the presidential and vice presidential elections are held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote. Under the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote, every elector can mark as many preferences as there are candidates contesting the election. These preferences for the candidates are to be marked by the elector, by placing the figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and so on, against the names of the ...
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will only interpret the Constitution while dealing with the Presidential reference on whether the court could impose timelines for governors and President to deal with bills passed by state assemblies. The remark by a five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice BR Gavai came when Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said if senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for parties opposing the reference, is going to rely on examples of constitutional provisions which concerned Andhra Pradesh, among others, then he needs to file a reply, as he has not argued on those aspects. Mehta told a bench also comprising Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, PS Narasimha and AS Chandurkar, "If they (Tamil Nadu and Kerala governments) are going to rely on examples of Andhra Pradesh etc ... we would like to file a reply on this. Since, we need to show how the Constitution was taken on a joyride since its inception... let us see if we want to travel down that dirty path." CJI
The Supreme Court on Tuesday commenced hearing on the Presidential Reference, which raised constitutional questions on whether the court can impose timelines for Governors and the President to deal with bills passed by state assemblies. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice BR Gavai allowed state governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu to question the maintainability of the Presidential Reference. "We will hear preliminary objections for half an hour. Thereafter, we will start hearing submissions from the Attorney General," CJI Gavai said at the outset. The bench -- also comprising Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, P S Narasimha and A S Chandurkar -- said that after hearing preliminary objections, the court will hear arguments on the Presidential Reference itself, starting with the submission of Attorney General R Venkataramani. Senior advocate KK Venugopal, appearing for Kerala government, opposed the Presidential Reference and said the issue is covered by a series
In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Tuesday sought responses of the Centre and all states on the Presidential reference raising constitutional issues on whether timelines could be imposed for dealing with bills passed by assembly. Observing that the issues raised in the presidential reference will affect the entire country, a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai sought the replies in a week and fixed the reference for fixing timelines and other procedural details on July 29. "There are issues of interpretation of the Constitution. We have requested the Attorney General to assist us. Issue notice to the Union and all state governments. The Solicitor General will appear for the Union. All state governments be served through emails. List it on next Tuesday. Notice be also served to all standing counsel," ordered the bench which also comprised justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, PS Narasimha and AS Chandurkar. During a brief hearing, senio
President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday gave her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which was passed by Parliament earlier this week. Murmu also gave her assent to the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2025. "The following Act of Parliament received the assent of the president on April 5, 2025, and is hereby published for general information: The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025," the government said in a notification. Parliament early on Friday approved the Bill after the Rajya Sabha gave its nod to the contentious legislation following an over 13-hour debate. The discussion witnessed staunch objections from opposition parties, which termed the Bill "anti-Muslim" as well as "unconstitutional", while the government responded that the "historic reform" would benefit the minority community. The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 128 members voting in favour and 95 opposing it. It was passed in the Lok Sabha early on Thursday, with 288 members supporting it and 232 against it. Parli
It is essential for government departments to modernise their systems by making the best use of emerging technologies to cater to the ever-rising expectations of the public for efficiency in service delivery, President Droupadi Murmu said on Thursday. Addressing a group of probationers from different government services, she asked them to keep abreast of advanced technologies, skills and strive to create more citizen-centric, efficient and transparent governance systems. The probationers from the Indian Civil Accounts Service, Indian Post and Telecommunication (Finance and Accounts) Service, Indian Railway Management Service (Accounts) and the Indian Postal Service had called on the president at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. There is an ever-rising expectation among the public for greater speed and efficiency in service delivery, along with increased transparency and accountability, the president said. "To cater to these requirements, it is essential for government departments to moderni