Ram Nath Kovind, President of India, addresses joint session of Parliament

On Monday, President Ram Nath Kovind lauded the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's major COVID-19 immunisation push, noting that 150 crore doses were provided to the country's inhabitants in record time.

President Ram Nath Kovind said the Rs 64,000 crore PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission will prepare the country for future health crises in his address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament at the commencement of the Budget Session.

President Ram Nath Kovind delivered a joint address to both Houses of Parliament in the Central Hall to kick off the Budget Session of Parliament.

The President, speaking to the joint session of the two chambers, said:  "I bow down to the lakhs of freedom fighters who prioritised their duties and helped India get its rights. I also respectfully remember the personalities who contributed to the development journey of India in the 75 years of independence."

The BJP-led Centre has opted to corner the Congress-led Opposition over numerous critical topics, including the latest storey in The New York Times on the Pegasus case, thus the Budget Session, which begins today, is expected to be a stormy affair.

The meeting takes place in the midst of the third COVID wave and a high-octane election campaign in five states: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa, and Manipur. From February 10 to March 7, these five states will hold elections in seven phases.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will release the Union budget for the fiscal year 2022-23 on February 1.

The Lok Sabha Budget Session is set to expire on April 8, with the first portion of the session running till February 11, according to the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

The following are the important points from the President's speech: -

• 'I bow down to India's freedom heroes'

"I bow down to the lakhs of freedom fighters who prioritised their duties and helped India get its rights. I also respectfully remember the personalities who contributed to the development journey of India," said President Kovind.

President hails India's fight against Covid-19 pandemic

Lauding Centre-State coalition during COVID pandemic, he added, "'Covid-19 pandemic has affected everyone around the world. India has too lost many people during this time. But Centre, States, Sanitation Workers worked as a unit. This is a good example of Democracy.''

Mentioning India's mass vaccination drive, he said, "We have crossed 150 cr vaccinations in less than a year. Over 90% eligible people have taken 1st dose of vaccination. Precautionary dose has also begun. Indian vaccines have saved lives of crores of people".

• 'Padma awards an example of unity in diversity'
  

Shifting his focus to Padma awards presented by the Centre recently, the President said, "Democracy means feeling of respect for all people. Our govt is working to ensure justice to all people. Padma Awards is an example of this unity. The awards are being given irrespective of religion, caste.''

• 'NEP promoting local languages'
  

In his speech, the President hailed the Centre's New Education Policy and said that local languages are being promoted as part of NEP. "Emphasis is being laid to conduct entrance examinations in Indian languages. 19 engineering colleges across 10 states to teach in 6 Indian languages this year.''

President hails Tokyo Olympic winners

In his joint address to both houses of Parliament, the President, "India won 7 medals in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. India also set a record in Tokyo Paralympics by winning 19 medals. There are also several Khelo India centres being installed across India."

• 'Har Ghar Jal' initiative
  

Flagging other achievements of the central government, President Kovind said ''over six crore rural households are getting tap water under 'Har Ghar Jal initiative''.

• 'India's agriculture exports beyond Rs three lakh crore'
  

President Kovind said India's agriculture exports have also crossed Rs three lakh crore. He said despite the pandemic, country's farmers produced 30 crore tonnes of food grains and 33 crore horticulture produce in 2020-21.

• 'PM-KISAN a big game changer'

According to the President, more than 11 crore farmer families earned Rs 1.80 lakh crore under PM-KISAN, and the farm sector has seen significant developments. He said that the government acquired over 433 million metric tonnes of wheat, benefiting more than 50 million farmers.

The Budget Session of Parliament begins as the five states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa, and Manipur prepare for vital assembly elections.