President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday congratulated India-born scientist Professor Venkatraman Ramakrishnana for jointly winning this year's Nobel Prize for Chemistry. In her message, Patil said she was very proud to hear of the news and was happy that Professor Ramakrishnan's pursuit of understanding the structure and functioning of the ribosome has been recognised.
Martin Luther King III, who is in India to trace his father Martin Luther King Junior's 'India Pilgrimage' 50 years ago, called on President Pratibha Patil on Monday.
With an eye on increasing south-south cooperation, President Pratibha Patil ended her maiden visit to Latin American countries during which nine agreements were signed with Chile, Brazil and Mexico and a special emphasis was laid on increasing the connectivity. The visit of 73-year-old Patil was also used to muster support for India's candidature for the permanent membership to the United Nations Security Council.
Ahead of the foreign secretary- level talks, India said on Monday that it was ready to explore a "meaningful" relationship with Pakistan if it seriously addressed the threat of terrorism and stops terror acts against this country.
The Congress leadership is caught in a bind over Jairam Ramesh. While his support for a major Chinese telecom firm is being taken seriously by the party leadership, what has complicated the issue is the visit of President Pratibha Patil to China from May 26 on a five-day visit.
To further improve rail connectivity and infrastructure development, 22 stations located at metropolitan centres and major tourist centres will be developed through public-private partnership, the President said.
Expressing happiness at political parties fielding a woman for the top post, she said she also expected some forward movement on the women's reservation issue in the next six months.
Yesteryear actor Waheeda Rahman, singer S P Balasubrahmanyam, music composer Khayyam, former diplomat Brajesh Mishra and pioneer of the test tube baby in India Indira Hinduja were among a host of distinguished people conferred with the coveted Padma awards in New Delhi on Thursday evening.
During the 45-minute meeting, the President posed some searching questions to the 42-year-old astronaut on how she managed to take care of herself during her record 195-day stay in the space.
President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi led the nation in mourning the death of former Kerala Chief Minister K Karunakaran, hailing him as a "visionary" leader and a "true patriot."
President offers prayers at Somnath temple
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday met President Pratibha Patil and discussed various issues of national and international importance, including the forthcoming SAARC summit.
The presidential order paves the way for Sonia Gandhi's re-appointment as chairman of the National Advisory Council, a post that has the rank of a Cabinet minister.
The cabinet meeting was convened at a short notice to discuss the political situation in Nagaland against the backdrop of the Bharatiya Janata Party-backed Democratic Alliance winning a controversial no-confidence motion in December.
In view of growing urbanisation in the country, President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday called upon policy makers to follow "systematic urban planning and proper urban governance."
President Pratibha Patil ordered the suspension of Prasar Bharti's controversial CEO B S Lalli, who is in the eye of a storm facing allegations of irregularities in the country's largest public broadcaster.
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar had sent in a request to the President for visiting Baramati in Maharashtra to see the all round development made in the areas of agriculture, irrigation and town planning.
President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh congratulated Abhinav Bindra on his "golden performance" in bagging India's first-ever individual gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. In separate messages, Patil and Singh lauded the achievement of 25-year-old Indian shooter, with the Prime Minister describing the feat as a "golden performance".
Rajasthan minister Ameen Khan, whose remarks on President Pratibha Patil triggered a controversy, on Thursday submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
President Pratibha Patil has rejected the Delhi Lokayukta's recommendation to sack Delhi's Public Works Department Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan for his alleged involvement in protecting a leading resort in a tax evasion case.
The legend passed away in the early hours of December 4.
"Buddhism is more relevant today than ever," said President Pratibha Patil after visiting Bodh Gaya and Nalanda
President Pratibha Patil and Vice President Hamid Ansari on Wednesday condemned the terror attacks in Mumbai. The President condoled the loss of lives in the blasts, a Rashtrapati Bhawan statement said. "The President wishes speedy recovery to those injured in the incident in Mumbai," it added.
Sania Mirza's scheduled meeting with President Pratibha Patil was called off after the tennis ace was rendered indisposed.
The first President born after Independence takes office.
In an unprecedented action, the Election Commission on Saturday night sought the "immediate and decisive" intervention of President Pratibha Patil after it charged Law Minister Salman Khurshid with "improper and unlawful" defiance of its orders under which he was censured for promising sub-quota for minorities.
President Pratibha Patil today embarked on her maiden visit to Russia seeking to consolidate the relations between the "close friends and partners" in the changed global geo-political situation.
Denouncing the Mumbai terror strikes as 'mindless' acts, President Pratibha Patil on Thursday appealed to people to maintain calm and expressed confidence that the perpetrators of the attacks would be brought to justice.
Governments being the biggest litigants should exercise restraint in approaching courts in order to decongest the system and reduce overall pendency of cases, President Pratibha Patil said on Saturday.
President Pratibha Patil's son and Congress Member of Legislative Assembly Raosaheb Shekhawat was on Tuesfay questioned by the Amravati police in connection with the seizure of Rs one crore unaccounted cash ahead of the civic polls. Accompanied by Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary Ganesh Patil and a battery of lawyers, Shekhawat reached the police commissioner's office in Amravati on Tuesday morning, where his statement was recorded in the case.
After the 40-minute meeting, a Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson said they reviewed the recent developments, but did not elaborate
"The fact is that all human beings are one and our behaviour should be based on this basic truth. People create distinctions in their own mind and believe them to be true. Today, it is the perceived differences that are dividing people," Patil said while inaugurating the Global Vipassana Pagoda in suburban Gorai near Mumbai.
President Pratibha Patil wrapped up on a positive note her four-day visit to Bhutan, where she attended the coronation of the world's youngest monarch Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wanchuck, giving a fresh momentum to close bilateral ties.
Controversial Calcutta High Court Judge Justice Soumitra Sen on Saturday sent his resignation in writing to President Pratibha Patil, raising fresh questions on whether impeachment proceedings against him in the Lok Sabha will go on as scheduled on Monday. "A lawyer on behalf of Justice Sen has handed over a resignation letter to the President this morning. The President is perusing it," a Rashtrapati Bhawan spokesperson said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday strongly condemned the serial blasts in the national capital and appealed to the people to maintain calm
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday met President Pratibha Patil and discussed the internal security situation. First the two had a one-on-one meeting after which Home Minister P Chidambaram joined in the discussion, in what was seen as a rare occasion.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made ahead of the visit of President Pratibha Patil and her Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in Mumbai on Wednesday, the police said.
Continuing her three-day visit to Brazil, President Pratibha Patil will address the country's Senate and oversee the signing of four bilateral agreements, including an extradition treaty, before leaving for Mexico on the second leg of her three-nation tour. Patil met with a business delegation in Rio de Janeiro, where she discussed ways and means to boost the bilateral trade.
With Jammu and Kashmir assembly slated to discuss a resolution seeking clemency for Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, a Bharatiya Janata Party youth wing delegation on Sunday met President Pratibha Patil and said the death sentence awarded to the terrorist should be carried out or it would set a bad precedent.
A Bharatiya Janata Party delegation, led by party chief Nitin Gadkari, on Wednesday met President Pratibha Patil todemand the removal of Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal, alleging that she had grabbed agricultural land worth Rs 600 crore in Rajasthan.
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