President Draupadi Murmu said – ‘The Constitution is the ultimate foundation of our collective identity as Indians’

President Draupadi Murmu addressed the nation on the eve of Republic Day on Saturday. In her address, the President said, “The Constitution gives an excellent setting of our collective character as Indians, it binds us together as one family.” President Murmu said equality, liberty, uniformity and society have always been part of India’s civilisational heritage. “The Constitution has become a living record since civic ethics have been part of our moral compass for millennia,” she said. “In the last 75 years, the Constitution has paved the way for our progress. Today, we express our gratitude to Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution, and other individuals whose efforts have given us the Constitution. These 75 years after the implementation of the Constitution are companions of the all-round progress of our young republic.” Addressing the nation on the eve of her third Republic Day, President Murmu said, “The government has re-imagined the concept of welfare, making essential needs a matter of right.” President Murmu lauds ‘One Country, One Election’ Bill

“Such great reforms require foresight. Another step that guarantees a rethink on the terms of great governance is the proposal introduced in Parliament to coordinate decision making schemes in the country.

The ‘One Country One Election’ scheme can promote stability in governance, prevent loss of momentum, address resource constraints and reduce financial burdens, besides promoting many other benefits,” President Murmu said.

“Education has transformed in the last decade in terms of quality of education, physical infrastructure and digital inclusion,” she said.

Lauding modern criminal laws, the President said, “We gained flexibility in 1947, but many vestiges of colonial attitude remained with us for a long time. Recently, we have been witnessing concerted efforts to change that attitude. The most important of such efforts was the decision to replace the Indian Correctional Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Criminal Code with the Indian Justice Code, the Indian Civil Protection Code and the Indian Evidence Act.” Furthermore, based on the conventions of Indian law, modern criminal laws place the dispensation of justice rather than discipline at the centre of the criminal justice framework.