Giving awards to thirty disabled people for their achievements on the occasion of the International Day of Disabled, President Pratibha Patil said, "Recently the Maharashtra government has introduced a special insurance scheme for the disabled. I would urge the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to look into introducing such a scheme in the rest of the country".
President Pratibha Patil on Saturday underlined the need for exploring ways to make the litigation in the country affordable for the benefit of poor and downtrodden in society.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Olympic gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra have been conferred with the rank of honourary Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army by President Pratibha Patil.
In an unprecedented move for the first time, President Pratibha Patil came to the aid of a whistleblower officer of the Haryana government, ordering it to drop a chargesheet filed against him.
President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday indicated that she will seek China's support for India's bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council during her six-day visit to the country, the first by an Indian head of state in a decade.
eminding the nation to fulfill Mahatma Gandhi's pledge of "wiping every tear in every eye", President Pratibha Patil on Friday regretted that the benefits of a surging economy have not percolated to weaker sections
President Pratibha Patil on Friday signed the proclamation to revoke Central rule in Karnataka. Patil, who is at present on a visit to Shimla, signed the proclamation and sent it to the Union Home Ministry for issuing of requisite orders.The President's rule, which had expired on May 19, was extended by another six months after a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took a decision in this regard.
President Pratibha Patil has asked Indian Institutes of Technology to address the problems of rural areas by producing cutting-edge solutions for them.
The Left Front leaders, led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat, have reached the Rashtrapati Bhavan to submit their letter withdrawing support to the United Progressive Alliance government to the President. Following the withdrawal of support by the Left parties the strength of the ruling coalition has been reduced to 230.
At a time when Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has given individual tax payers a major benefit, President Pratibha Patil's salary and allowances have come down by half.
President Pratibha Patil on Saturday condoled the death of Sabarimala pilgrims in a stampede at Pullumedu in Kerala's Idukki district.In a letter to the Kerala chief minister and governor, she expressed grief over the tragedy.Patil wished a speedy recovery to all those injured in the incident that took place on Friday night. Over 100 pilgrims returning from the shrine were killed and 50 others injured in the stampede.
Issue came up for discussions between President Lee Myung-bak and visiting Indian President Pratibha Patil.
President Pratibha Patil, Vice President Hamid Ansari, music director A R Rahman and noted lyricist Gulzar on Sunday watched the Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire at the Rashtrapati Bhavan auditorium in New Delhi. Oscar awardee Resul Pookuty and Vikas Swarup, on whose novel Q and A the movie is based, also attended the screening. According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson, the two-hour-long special screening was exclusively organised for the President.
Gujarat Congress president Siddarth Patel and state assembly leader Shaktisinh Gohil on Wednesday led a delegation of party Members of Legislative Assembly and state leaders to President Pratibha Patil to seek her 'constitutional intervention' in the state to restore democracy, peace and law and order.
In the midst of opposition protests in Karnataka over the illegal mining issue, Governor H R Bharadwaj on Tuesday met President Pratibha Patil.
Unfazed by Monday's developments in the Rajya Sabha, President Pratibha Patil said that it will be 'graceful' if the Women's Reservation Bill is passed after consultation 'as far as possible.'
Leaders of the Left front, Bahujan Samaj Party, Telugu Desam Party and other parties on Tuesday met President Pratibha Patil to demand immediate convening of the monsoon session of Parliament, accusing the government of 'concealing' information regarding the Indo-United States nuclear deal.They charged the ruling coalition with subverting the Constitution by deciding to do away with the monsoon session and convening a combined session.
Has President Pratibha Patil become an embarrassment to the United Progressive Alliance government? The answer is in the affirmative, if judged by reports emanating from the highest corridors of power.
Mohammad ElBaradei, director general of International Atomic Energy Agency, was on Wednesday honoured with the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for his 'impassioned opposition to use of nuclear energy for military purposes.'
In a subtle, but clear message, President Pratibha Patil told China on Friday that "mutual understanding of each other's sensitivities" held the key to "deeper and sturdier friendship" between the two Asian giants.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday called on President Pratibha Patil and briefed her about the consensus resolution passed in Parliament on Lokpal Bill.
President Pratibha Patil has given her assent to the delimitation proposal, a Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesman said, amid indications from the Law Ministry that it would come into immediate effect in almost all parts of the country. This is except Meghalaya and Tripura, where the assembly poll process is already on, and therefore it would come into force from March 20. Also excluded are four north-eastern states-- Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland and Jharkhand
President Pratibha Patil congratulated boxer Vijender Kumar for clinching a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics. ''I am very happy and proud that you have won the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics in the middleweight division of the boxing competition,'' the President said in a statement on Friday.
P J Thomas, whose appointment as Chief Vigilance Commissioner was cancelled by President Pratibha Patil after the Supreme Court held it as illegal, has moved the Delhi high court seeking stay of the appointment of his successor who is being sworn in on Thursday.
In the midst of continued stand-off between the government and civil society activists on the proposed Lokpal bill, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday met President Pratibha Patil and briefed her about the efforts being made to resolve the issue.
This will be the first political delegation Pratibha would be receiving after taking over as the head of state from her predecessor A P J Abdul Kalam.
Opposition parties on Monday expressed disappointment over the President Pratibha Patil's address to the Parliament, saying it contained old promises on which it had already failed to deliver and lacked clarity on solutions to problems like corruption. The Bharatiya Janata Party, Left parties and Telugu Desam Party said the address was not up to their expectations.
A technical snag detected in the special aircraft of President Pratibha Patil as the IAF Boeing 737 was being readied for takeoff on Wednesday morning from the NSC Bose International airport in Kolkata delayed her departure to Pune.
"Parliament, being the national legislative body, also bears the responsibility of setting standards for state legislatures, local bodies and indeed all elected bodies," Patil said.
President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday visited the residence of Arjun Singh to pay their last respect to the party veteran who died in New Delhi.
After her inaugural speech at the reception hosted in her honour, the organisers of the function, possibly surprised at an early end of the meeting, asked all those who had gathered to line up for a photo op with Patil.In no time, the entire hall at a five-star hotel saw people queuing up for the photo-op, taking her security personnel by surprise. After nearly 30 minutes, the organisers, unable to cope up with the rush, decided to end the impromptu event.
President Pratibha Patil congratulated the Indian football team for winning the ONGC Nehru Cup football tournament.
Pranab Mukherjee will be sworn in as the 13th President of the country on July 25.
After getting a pat from President Pratibha Patil on Friday for her bravery, 22-year old Rukhsana termed the occasion as a 'red letter day' of her life. "It was a red letter day for me and my family, as the President was here to boost my morale and praised the brave act. It was an honour to talk to her and get clicked," Rukhsana told reporters soon after her 15-minute interaction with the President. "I am encouraged by her pat," Rukhsana said.
Wrestler Sushil Kumar and pugilist Vijender Kumar, who won a bronze each at the Beijing Olympics, pose with the India President Pratibha Patil in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Patil said government policies and programmes should be women-centric as no country could grow without paying attention to half of its population.
The Indian Navy and other stakeholders in the maritime domain are playing a pro-active role to avoid a recurrence of 26/11 type terror attacks, President Pratibha Patil said on Wednesday.
Archana Dutta will take over from S M Khan, who served as the press secretary to former President APJ Abdul Kalam
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday hailed Sachin Tendulkar as a 'genius' after the master batsman eclipsed Brian Lara to become the highest run-getter in Test cricket. Tendulkar surpassed Lara to become the highest run getter in Tests on the opening day of the second Test against Australia at Mohali.
President Pratibha Patil on Sunday said Indian democracy "cannot be allowed to falter" at a time when democracies of the world are operating in complex situations including fractured mandates and explosion of the media. "The big challenge is for democracy to proceed towards being a vibrant but healthy democracy. It is therefore necessary to walk ahead carefully, with determination," she said.