India’s president Pratibha Patil has emphasised the importance of promoting higher education among the citizens of her country as a step towards higher standard of living and improved global competitiveness.
“We have a population, which is predominantly young. With education and training, they can become skilled and capable of finding their livelihoods, starting their own businesses and thus becoming productive assets,” she said in her address to the Nation on the eve of India’s Republic Day.
She said primary education is now a fundamental right for children in India and that the government was committed to universalise secondary education.
“Expansion of school education will also require increase in the number of higher education institutions. Reinforcing health and education sectors is fundamental for developing our human resources,” she said.
Mrs Patil said that as an advocate of empowerment of women, she was committed to engaging them in ‘mainstream India.’
Promoting Women
She said the establishment of the ‘National Mission on Empowerment of Women’ in 2010 was an important development in promoting policies and programmes to achieve the national objective.
“Empowerment of women will have a very big impact on creating social structures that are stable. An important component of women’s development is their economic and social security. Social prejudices prevalent in our society have led to gender discrimination and this must be corrected,” she said.
She also called for eradication of social evils such as female foeticide, child marriage and dowry. Status of women is an important indicator of progress in a society, she said.
Stating that the world was becoming complex and more challenging, Mrs Patil said globalisation had created an interlinked and interdependent environment.
External developments continue to influence all nations, she said and added that problems related to inflation and employment were common to both developed and developing countries.
“The 21st Century has brought in its trail a host of issues at a breath-taking pace,” she said.
Inspiring leadership
Mrs Patil asked her fellow citizens to draw inspiration from the country’s independence movement, describing it as ‘unique, non-violent, requiring extraordinary mass discipline, steadfastness and patience.’
“We followed this course, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi because we had faith in ourselves and in our strength. Surely, we can demonstrate the same discipline in nation building. Courage, confidence and determination will be our companions in this task, carefully piloted in a constitutionally acceptable order,” she said.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations held in New Delhi on January 26, 2012. The event, as usual witnessed a colourful parade of armed forces, national cadet corps, scouts, floats of various states and aerial display of the Indian Air Force.
Reports have come in from various parts of New Zealand.
Republic Day in Wellington
In Wellington, about 150 people gathered at India House, the official residence of the High Commissioner for a brief ceremony. Charge de Affaires Jagdev Singh Rana hoisted the Indian flag and read out the speech of Mrs Patil, which was followed by patriotic songs and exchange of Republic Day Greetings.
Auckland Ceremony
The New Zealand Indian Central Association (NZICA) and Auckland Indian Association marked India’s Republic Day with a flag-hoisting ceremony at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre in Eden Terrace on January 26.
National MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, NZICA president Paul Singh Bains and veteran freedom fighter and social worker Hira Bhai were among the guests of honour, along with members of the Association and the community.
