President Ram Nath Kovind called for the need for enhancement of awareness about the Constitution among the people.
Addressing a gathering at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Monday on the occasion of Constitution Day, the President underlined the significance of the Constitution and stressed on the need to safeguard and strengthen it.
“The duty of safeguarding and strengthening the Constitution is a shared enterprise among the judiciary, the executive and the legislature, in partnership with the people of India,” he said at the event which was also attended by members of the judiciary from BIMSTEC countries.
He said that the makers of the Constitution trusted the wisdom of future generations to expand the frontiers of freedom and liberty, justice and fraternity, fairness and equality.
“They trusted future generations to not just amend the Constitution, but to constructively reimagine and reinterpret it,” the President said.
“The Constitution is the modern scripture of independent India. It is more than just a collection of articles and clauses. For us Indians it is an inspirational and living document, an ideal of the society we are and the even better society we are striving to be,” he added.
Describing justice as the “most moving” word in the Constitution, the President said that justice is served when it “is accessible, affordable and quickly available to all citizens, irrespective of background”.
“But justice must also be seen in a wider context – in terms of society’s evolution and its changing beliefs, lifestyles and technologies. The 21st century has brought new challenges. Concept of justice needs to be thought of in innovative ways,” he said.
“It is a paradox that our citizens, in whose name the Constitution was adopted, are sometimes not sufficiently informed about what the Constitution means for us. Let the 70th year of its adoption be dedicated to enhancing awareness about the Constitution,” the President said.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the nation on the occasion of Constitution Day.
Modi took to Twitter saying, “On Constitution Day we recall with pride the stellar contribution of the greats who served in our Constituent Assembly. We are proud of our Constitution and reiterate our commitment to uphold the values enshrined in it.”
The Prime Minister also shared a link of the audio of his monthly radio broadcast programme “Mann Ki Baat” of Sunday where he spoke in length about the contribution of Ambedkar, who drafted the Indian Constitution.
Read More: PM Modi, Venkaiah Naidu greet nation on Constitution Day
Constitution Day, also known as the “Samvidhan Divas” is celebrated every year on November 26 to mark the day on which the Constitution of India was adopted.
The Constitution of India was adopted on November 26, 1949, before it came into force on January 26, 1950.
It was on November 19, 2015, when the government with the help of a gazette notification declared November 26 as the Constitution Day.