Today, the 14th President of India, Ram Nath Kovind took his Oath of Office at the Central Hall of Parliament.
Among the people present were Former President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
At the inaugural ceremony, President Kovind said, “I am accepting this position with all humility and I am grateful for this responsibility.”
He also said he was honored coming from a simple background and yet standing on the same place as Dr. Radhakrishnan and Dr. Abdul Kalam and Pranab Mukherjee immediate his predecessor.
He further said, “I bow to the 125 crore citizens of this great nation and promise to stay true to the trust they have bestowed on me.”
The President also mentioned that the key to the nation’s success was our diversity. “Our diversity is the core that makes us so unique.”
He talked about combining tradition and technology, the “wisdom of an age old Bharat and the science of a contemporary India” for the development of the nation.
President Kovind reminded every citizen that each one was a nation builder, “Nations are not built by governments alone. Nation building requires national pride. Each one of us is a custodian of India’s well being and of the legacy that we will pass on to coming generations.”
He added, “India’s voice counts in today’s world. We have achieved a lot as a nation, but the effort to do more, to do better and to do faster is relentless.”
Newly elected President Kovind took the first salute at Rashtrapati Bhawan. He then accompanied Pranab Mukherjee to his house in Rajaji Marg.
Ram Nath Kovind has been marked as the first BJP President to be elected to the country’s highest post.
