Shimla: Expressing concern over rising incidents of crime against women and children, President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday called for effective measures to ensure their safety and security. Underlining the need for arresting the moral decline in society, the president told students of Himachal Pradesh University here to find answers for reversing the degradation of values.
Favouring imparting moral and quality education, he said: "Our universities have the capability to shape the minds of the youth."
"These temples of higher learning must act as guides in meeting the contemporary moral challenges and ensure that our respect for women and elderly, truth and honesty in life, discipline and self-restraint in conduct are fully entrenched in the young minds," said Mukherjee, who visited this university for the third time.
Delivering the convocation address, he said India's demographic structure was changing....
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03:55 AM, May 25, 2013
Jeddah: External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Friday arrived at Jeddah on an official visit during which he will hold talks with Saudi Arabia's leadership on a range of issues, including the controversial 'Nitaqat' law, energy security and counter-terrorism cooperation. Khurshid's visit is the first by an Indian External Affairs Minister in the last five years. In 2008, then Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee had visited the Gulf Kingdom. The Minister...
02:55 AM, May 25, 2013
New Delhi: Shashi Kant Sharma on Thursday was sworn in as CAG by President Pranab Mukherjee in the Rashtrapati Bhavan here. The 61-year old 1976 Bihar cadre IAS officer replaced Vinod Rai, who superannuated on Wednesday after a five-and-a-half year eventful tenure as the head of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). "Shashi Kant Sharma will have a tenure up to September 24, 2017," an official statement said....
03:40 PM, May 23, 2013
New Delhi: India is prepared to increase bilateral contribution to Afghanistan's institution-building, training and equipment to the extent possible and would stand by that country during its critical period of transition, President Pranab Mukherjee said on Tuesday. During a meeting with visiting Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, Mukherjee said India is proud to partner the government and people of Afghanistan in their efforts towards reconstruction and development of Afghanistan. The President...
08:50 PM, May 21, 2013
New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on Tuesday was remembered on his 22nd death anniversary with leaders paying homage at his memorial here. President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the late leader's wife and Congress President Sonia Gandhi offered flowers at his memorial 'Vir Bhumi' here. Sonia was also joined by son and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, daughter Priyanka and son-in-law Robert...
11:52 AM, May 21, 2013
New Delhi: Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai arrived in the country on Monday on a three-day visit during which he will seek increased military aid from India and discuss recent cross-border clashes with Pakistan. "We will ask for assistance for the strengthening of our security forces," Karzai's spokesman had said in a briefing on Saturday in Kabul ahead of the trip. Karzai, who arrived in Punjab on the first leg of...
10:49 PM, May 20, 2013
_90x62.jpg "Rashtrapati Bhavan tours to cost Rs 25 per person")
New Delhi: Daily public tours of Rashtrapati Bhavan, which began for the first time from Jan 1 this year at the initiative of President Pranab Mukherjee and have become very popular with tourists, will now cost Rs 25 per person. A Rashtrapati Bhavan press release said nominal registration charges of Rs 25 will be levied upon visitors to Rashtrapati Bhavan and Mughal Gardens from August 1, 2013. These charges are...
03:59 PM, May 20, 2013
New Delhi: With BJP's debacle in Karnataka following corruption charges clearly on his mind, new Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said he will have people with clean image in his Cabinet to be formed in a couple of days. 64-year-old Siddaramaiah, who took over as the Chief Minister on May 13, reached Delhi on Wednesday afternoon and will hold consultation with central leadership on the composition of his Cabinet. "Right...
06:40 PM, May 15, 2013
New Delhi: Oil Ministry's proposal for an across-the-board near doubling of natural gas prices has been rejected by the Cabinet Secretariat saying a ministerial panel headed by Defence Minister AK Antony did not have powers to do so. The Ministry had sent a draft proposal for the consideration of the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) to price all domestically produced natural gas - be of state-run ONGC or private sector...
04:18 PM, May 15, 2013
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will visit Saudi Arabia on May 24-27, the first visit by an Indian foreign minister in the last five years, during which the kingdom's Nitaqat work policy, regional and international issues would be discussed. Then external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee had visited Saudi Arabia in 2008. Khurshid's visit comes days after the trip of a high level Indian delegation, led by Overseas Indian...
11:40 PM, May 14, 2013
Guwahati: The recent Delhi gangrape shook the conscience of the nation, President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said and underlined the need to ponder and "reset the moral compass" of the society during this difficult time. "Sometimes certain events shake the national conscience. Recently the brutal rape on a young woman in Delhi shook the conscience of the whole nation and it compelled us to sit back and think where we...
09:25 PM, May 13, 2013
New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said nursing has evolved into a modern medical profession and nurses have become an indispensable part of the country's health care system. "Nurses form a large part of the health workforce and are the backbone of the health care system. They are pivotal in the hospital-doctor-patient paradigm," the president said while presenting the National Florence Nightingale awards to nursing personnel here on the...
05:59 AM, May 13, 2013
New Delhi: A delegation of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will be meeting President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday to submit a memorandum on the 1984 Delhi riots verdict acquitting Congress leader Sajjan Kumar of all charges. The delegation will be headed by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Massive protests resumed last week after Kumar was acquitted of all charges. The CBI will also challenge before Delhi High Court the...
10:30 AM, May 08, 2013
New Delhi: The Delhi Lokayukta on Monday wrote to President Pranab Mukherjee alleging that the Delhi government was misusing public funds. The Lokayukta named Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Public Works Department Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan in his letter to Pranab. The Lokayukta also recommended to President to issue an "advisory" to the Chief Minister and the PWD Minister asking them to desist from publication of their photographs on...
09:59 PM, May 06, 2013
Chennai: Popular Tamil film and TV actor Mohan Raman, also a well known philatelist, was pleasantly surprised when the government honoured actors he had recommended from the south through 50 stamps that were released at the 60th National Film Awards. President Pranab Mukherjee released the stamps Friday commemorating 50 iconic film personalities who brought changes to Indian cinema. "I was approached by a member of the film chamber few months...
12:25 PM, May 06, 2013
Kolkata: President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said there was a need to maintain a "fine balance" in the role and responsibility of legislature, executive and judiciary as the success of Parliamentary democracy depends on it. Addressing the valedictory function of the sesquicentennial celebrations of Calcutta High Court, Mukherjee said it was the "responsibility" of the judiciary to evolve a mechanism of self-discipline to maintain this balance. "Justice Kabir elaborated about...
11:05 AM, May 06, 2013
Kolkata: President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday praised public interest litigations (PIL) for helping in delivering justice, but urged the judiciary to "observe self discipline" to "maintain the balance with the executive and legislature". "I would like to compliment the Indian judiciary for one innovation: PIL. A man staying in the remotest part of the country can write a postcard to the chief justice of this largest functional democracy and can...
05:10 AM, May 06, 2013
Sai Korrapati, the producer of super hit film 'Eega', has received the national award for the best regional award category from the president of India, Pranab Mukherjee. Peter Draper from Makuta VFX received the award in the best visual effects category for the same film. The awards were announced recently in the 60th national film awards. Sai Korrapati has expressed his joy at the two national awards for the film....
03:07 PM, May 05, 2013
New Delhi: Defence Minister AK Antony on Saturday informed President Pranab Mukherjee about the measures taken by the Government to resolve the issue of incursion by Chinese soldiers into Indian territory in Ladakh where they have pitched tents in Daulat Beg Oldi area. The President, who is also the supreme commander of the armed forces, was briefed by the Defence Minister on the incursion issue and the steps taken by...
02:30 AM, May 05, 2013
New Delhi: BJP MPs from both Houses of Parliament will meet President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday in the Rashtrapati Bhavan to demand appropriate action against Chinese incursion in the Ladakh region. All BJP MPs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been asked by the party top brass to be a part of the delegation that will meet Pranab in afternoon. BJP Parliamentary Party Chief LK Advani, Leader of the...
10:25 PM, May 02, 2013
