Ram Nath Kovind took oath as India's 14th President on Tuesday and said a nation grows only when development for all is ensured.
"Honoured to be sworn in as the 14th President of India and would be carrying out my responsibilities with all humility," he said in his address after taking oath in Parliament.
“I feel privileged to walk on the same path as Dr Radhakrishnan, Dr Abdul Kalam and Pranab da,” Kovind said.
“We are now in the second half of the 21st century. We are proud of India’s diversity, heritage, development, and all its citizens,” he added.
“In this Parliament, we have differed with each other on various issues and discussed them reverently. This is the beauty of a democracy,” he said, adding, " My journey from a small village to President's House has been long but interesting."
Chief Justice of India JS Khehar administered the oath to Kovind in the presence of outgoing President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament's Central Hall.
Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Union ministers, governors, chief ministers, ambassadors and other diplomats, MPs and senior civil and military officers were present during the oath-taking ceremony.