'Liberty, equality and fraternity': President Ramnath Kovind's farewell address

Emphasising that the country is getting equipped to make the 21st century "the century of India", President Ram Nath Kovind in his farewell address to the nation on Sunday highlighted the importance of healthcare and education and said these, along with economic reforms, would enable citizens to pursue happiness by discovering their potential.

President-elect Droupadi Murmu will be sworn in as the country's 15th President on Monday.

In his last televised address to the nation, Kovind said, "The pandemic has underlined the need to further improve the public healthcare infrastructure. I am glad that the government has accorded top priority to this task.

"Once education and healthcare are in place, economic reforms will let citizens find the best course for their lives, he said, adding that "I firmly believe that our country is getting equipped to make the 21st century, the century of India".

He said the National Education Policy will go a long way in making it possible for young Indians to connect with their heritage and also find their feet in the twenty-first century.

The president made a special mention of the threat to the environment and asked all citizens to take care of it for future generations.

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"Mother Nature is in deep agony and the climate crisis can endanger the very future of this planet. We must take care of our environment, our land, air and water for the sake of our children.

"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. As the first citizen, if I have to give one advice to my fellow citizens, it has to be this," he added.

President Ramnath Kovind also hailed the trinity of ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity, saying they must not be mistaken as abstractions beacause they ''are lofty, noble and uplifting''.

"Our history, not only of modern times but also from ancient times, reminds us that they are real; that they can be realised, and indeed have been realised in different eras.

"Our ancestors and founders of our modern nation exemplified the meaning of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity with hard work and an attitude of service. We only have to follow in their footsteps and keep walking," he said.

And what do such ideals mean for a common citizen today? Kovind asked.

"I believe the chief goal is to help them discover the joy of living. For that, first of all, their basic necessities must be taken care of," the president emphasised.

During his address, the president went down memory lane to highlight the inherent power of vibrant democratic institutions.

Kovind recalled his earlier days when the country had just achieved independence and said, "There was a fresh wave of energy to rebuild the country; there were new dreams. I too had a dream, that one day I would be able to participate in a meaningful way in this nation-building exercise".

"A young boy living in a mud house could not have any idea about the highest Constitutional office of the Republic. But it is a testament to the strength of India's democracy that it has created pathways to let each citizen take part in the shaping of our collective destiny.

"If that Ram Nath Kovind from village Paraunkh is addressing you today, it is solely thanks to the inherent power of our vibrant democratic institutions," he said.

In his farewell speech on the eve of his completing five-year tenure as the president, Kovind said the founders of our modern nation exemplified the meaning of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity with hard work and an attitude of service, and "we only have to follow in their footsteps and keep walking".

The president said the nation is working with the objective of providing better housing, and access to drinking water and electricity for every family.

"This change has been made possible by the momentum of development and good governance which knows no discrimination," he said.

Kovind said the formal map for the democratic path "we all have been navigating was drafted by the Constituent Assembly" and the Constitution they prepared, with invaluable contributions from each of them, has been our guiding beacon.