AMN /
President Pranab Mukherjee has said that the ‘real dirt of India lies not on the streets but in the minds’ and in the unwillingness to let go of views that divide society.
He said that Swachh Bharat implies a clean mind along with a clean environment. Speaking at a function in Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, the President said cited Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of India as an inclusive nation where every section of population lived in equality and enjoyed equal opportunity. Mr Mukherjee said, Mahatma Gandhi had struggled for communal harmony during his entire life. The President inaugurated the archival and research center at Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad.
Later the President also gave away degrees and awards to meritorious students in Gujrat Vidyapeeth’s convocation. Addressing the gathering there, he asserted that educating in peace and harmony is the key to contain and reorient disruptive forces in society.
The President said that every citizen has a duty to rededicate themselves to create a clean external and internal environment of self and society to make Swachh Bharat possible. Referring to the motto of Gujarat Vidyapith ‘Sa Vidya Ya Vimuktaye’ meaning “education that liberates”, he said the institute should continue to demonstrate that social rejuvenation on the path of non-violence is possible by educating the heart and mind of the youth.
The President also cited numerous challenges faced by country’s higher education sector. He emphasised on increasing access and making education affordable.