President Ram Nath Kovind Set To Bid Adieu To Rashtrapati Bhavan On July 24

President Kovind, who served as Governor of Bihar, became the second Dalit to occupy the post after K R Narayanan.

President Ram Nath Kovind ( Image Source :ANI )

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind, who rose to the highest constitutional position of India from being a grassroots level politician to becoming the country's first citizen, is set to bid adieu to the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday.  The country’s 14^th President, who completed his full five-year term that was marked by the outbreak of global pandemic, will leave the magnificient home and hand over the reins to the new President. Former Jharkhand governor and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee Droupadi Murmu will occupy the top constitutional post.

Kovind had served the nation and contributed immensely to the office with his rich experience of working across the spectrum of the republic, from the grassroots to the apex court and Parliament.

Kovind, who served as Governor of Bihar, became the second Dalit to occupy the post after K R Narayanan.

Kovind has always pushed the cause of education as a tool for social empowerment and supported greater participation of women in nation-building and urging the society to create more opportunities for the deprived sections, especially the disabled and the orphans.

Coming from a humble background, the President’s  commitment towards the nation’s progress reflected in his speech when he mentioned that he grew up in a mud house in a small village and that his journey to the presidency had been a long one.

"It is so telling of our nation and our society also. For all its problems, it follows that basic mantra given to us in the preamble to the Constitution - of ensuring justice, liberty, equality and fraternity - and I will always continue to follow this basic mantra," he had said.

Kovind, who was sworn in as President on July 25, 2017, stressed the key to India's success is its diversity.

"Our diversity is the core that makes us so unique. In this land we find a mix of states and regions, religions, languages, cultures, lifestyles and much more. We are so different and yet so similar and united," he had said.

Since he took over as the President, the 76-year-old leader has discharged his duties as the first citizen of India with foresight and humility.

He has visited 33 countries till June promoting India's global outreach and footprint, according to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Parliament will host a farewell for outgoing President at the Central Hall on July 23, reported news agency ANI. Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Members of Parliament will be present at the gathering at 5:30 PM on July 23, the report quoted sources as saying.