Extending greetings to people on the eve of the 75th Republic Day, President Droupadi Murmu said here on Thursday that Ram Temple in Ayodhya stands as a grand edifice, giving a befitting expression not only of people’s faith but also as a testament to people’s enormous trust in judicial process.

The President said earlier this week, the country witnessed the historic consecration ceremony of the idol of Lord Ram in the glorious new temple constructed at his birthplace in Ayodhya.

She said when this event will be seen in the wider perspective the future historians will consider it a landmark in India’s continued re-discovery of its civilisational heritage. “The construction of the temple commenced after the due judicial process and the decision of the highest court of the land. Now, it stands as a grand edifice, giving a befitting expression not only of people’s faith but also as a testament to people’s enormous trust in the judicial process,” the President said.

Making a reference to the contributions of former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur, who was conferred Bharat Ratna earlier this week, Murmu said he was one of the greatest advocates of backward classes who dedicated his life for their welfare. “I would like to mention here that the celebration of the birth centenary of a tireless champion of social justice, Shri Karpoori Thakur Ji, concluded yesterday. His life was a message. I pay my tribute to Karpoori Ji for enriching public life through his contributions,” she said.

The President also spoke about Amrit Kaal in her address, saying that the period of Amrit Kaal is also going to be the period of unprecedented technological changes. She said technological advances like Artificial Intelligence and machine learning have moved from headlines into “our daily lives at a breathtaking speed”.

She further said there are numerous areas of concern in the foreseeable future, but there are also exciting opportunities ahead, especially for the youth. “They are exploring new frontiers. We need to do all we can to remove hurdles from their path and let them unleash their full potential. What they want is equality of opportunity. What they want is not the same old rhetoric of equality, but the realisation of our cherished ideal of equality,” she added.

Murmu said the nation is in the early years of Amrit Kaal, the period leading to the centenary of Independence. “This is the time of an epochal transformation. We are given a golden opportunity to take the country to new heights. Contribution from every citizen will be crucial to achieve our goals. For this, I will appeal to all my fellow citizens to abide by our Fundamental Duties enshrined in the Constitution,” she added.

The President said these duties are essential obligations of every citizen towards making Bharat a developed nation when it completes 100 years of independence. “Here, I think of Mahatma Gandhi who had rightly said, “No people have risen who thought only of rights. Only those did so who thought of duties,” she said.

In her address, the President also mentioned the Women’s Reservation Bill. She said, “We also progressed further towards the ideal of gender equality, when Parliament passed the historic Women’s Reservation Bill. I believe the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam will prove to be a revolutionary tool of women’s empowerment. It will also go a long way in improving the processes of our governance. When more women will be involved in the matters of collective importance, our administrative priorities will be more in tune with the needs of the masses.”

Speaking about the economy, she said India is moving ahead with confidence, which comes from and is also reflected by the robust health of the economy. “Our GDP growth rate has remained the highest among major economies in recent years, and we have all reasons to believe that this extraordinary performance will continue in the year 2024 and beyond. What I find particularly noteworthy is that the same farsighted planning that fuels the economy has also given a push to the welfare drive to make the development inclusive in every sense of the term,” she said.