Speech by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at the Banquet Hosted in Honour of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of Uae Armed Forces, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Your Highness, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am delighted to welcome Your Highness and the esteemed members of your distinguished delegation to India.

Fellow citizens:
1.I am happy to bein Kochi today atthe latest edition of the Kochi-MuzirisBiennale.
1. I am happy to be in Kerala to deliver the 6th Memorial Lecture in honour of eminent lawyer and former Member of the Kerala Public Men Inquiry Commission, Shri K.S. Rajamony.
1.It gives me immense pleasure to be here today at Air Force Station Tambaram, one of the oldest establishments of the Indian Air Force, to award the President’s ‘Standard’ to 125 Helicopter Squadron and ‘Colours’ to Mechanical Training Institute. These units have a glorious past, embedded with rich heritage, stellar efforts and selfless service to the Nation.
1.At the very outset, I would like to welcome guests from India and abroad for participating in the presentation of the ninth national biennial award for grassroots innovations and outstanding traditional knowledge. At the outset, let me congratulate the award winners for their contribution in the sphere of innovation.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!
1.To begin with, let me congratulate the winners of Visitor’s Awards, 2017 – Jawaharlal Nehru University, which has been adjudged the Best University; and the scientists from the Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Banaras Hindu University and Tezpur University, who have been awarded in the categories of innovation and research.
1.I am happy to join you for this concluding session of Pitch@RB and address entrepreneurs, investors, industry members, start-ups and other enablers of the start-up eco-system. It gives me pleasure to see this conglomeration of young and innovative minds, who may not be very experienced yet, but have the drive to succeed.