President Urges Children to Develop Personality With Discipline and Good Habits and Be Responsible Citizens

The President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh has urged children to develop their personality in such a way so that they are disciplined, have good habits and are responsible citizens.

Interacting with about 400 children from Delhi and surrounding areas who visited Rashtrapati Bhavan today on the occasion of Children's Day, the President spoke about the need to persuade the families of the weaker sections to educate their children for a brighter future. Smt. Patil emphasised on the important role that a mother can play in a family to create this awareness. The President also touched on the subject of corruption and urged the youth to discuss amongst themselves as well as create awareness through street plays about this menace. She said that the message should go through children to adults that the younger generation is against corruption. The President urged the children to play their part in spreading literacy, by each one teaching one illiterate person in their neighbourhood. Smt. Patil also spoke about some incidents, which she still remembers from her childhood.

The children who visited Rashtrapati Bhavan included orphans from the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), an autonomous body of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India.

Children affected by thalassaemia were also present. They were brought by the organization Foundation against Thalassaemia.

Children from the following schools/organisations were also present:-

1. Mount Carmel School, New Delhi

2. Gold Field Public School, Faridabad

3. Kdzee Schools, New Delhi

4. Schools of the Delhi Cantonment Board

5. The Scouts and Guides Organisation

6. Oasis Public School, Delhi

7. Govt Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Mangolpuri, Delhi

8. Sadhu Vasvani International School.

The students from the schools of Delhi Cantonment Board mostly from the under privileged sections of society also participated in the programme.