The biggest river festival of India, Namami Brahmaputra, begins in 21 districts of Assam today.

President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the festival on the banks of the river, which is considered country&#39;s only male river.

Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Assam Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Arunachal Pradesh Governor PB Acharya and Chief Ministers of the states will also attend the inaugural ceremony.

Various cultural programmes, traditional sports, Brahmaputra Aarti, exhibition, film shows, seminars and competitions will be the part of the five-day festival.

Spiritual leader Dalai Lama and several Union Ministers will also attend the festival.

Guwahati has got a new look for the festival. Big banners and hoardings have been put up across the city welcoming all to the event.

This festival is likely to give a boost to the investment and tourism prospect in the state. Security has been beefed up in and around Guwahati ahead of the visit of the President and Dalai Lama.

(ANI)

Spiritual leader Dalai Lama and various union ministers will also attend the festival

The biggest river festival of India, Namami Brahmaputra, begins in 21 districts of Assam today. President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the festival on the banks of the river, which is considered country's only male river. Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Assam Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Arunachal Pradesh Governor PB Acharya and Chief Ministers of the states will also attend the inaugural ceremony. Various cultural programmes, traditional sports, Brahmaputra Aarti, exhibition, film shows, seminars and competitions will be the part of the five-day festival. Spiritual leader Dalai Lama and several Union Ministers will also attend the festival. Guwahati has got a new look for the festival. Big banners and hoardings have been put up across the city welcoming all to the event. This festival is likely to give a boost to the investment and tourism prospect in the state. Security has been beefed up in and around Guwahati ahead of the visit of the President and Dalai Lama. (ANI)

President Pranab Mukherjee to inaugurate Namami Brahmaputra festival

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday condemned the recent clashes between right-and left-wing student groups in the capital&#39;s Delhi University, saying there should be no room in the country for the &quot;intolerant Indian&quot; in a country that had advocated free thought, speech and expression since ancient times.

&quot;Freedom of speech and expression is one of the most important fundamental rights guaranteed by our Constitution. There must be space for legitimate criticism and dissent,&quot; the President said in an address to lawmakers.

He advocated free thinking in university campuses and said students and faculties must engage in &quot;reasoned discussion and debate rather than propagating a culture of unrest&quot;.

He also said it was tragic to see students caught in the vortex of violence and disquiet.

&quot;It is tragic to see them (students) caught in the vortex of violence and disquiet,&quot; President Mukherjee said. He was speaking at the sixth K S Rajamony Memorial Lecture in New Delhi.

Underlining ancient glorious culture of universities in the country, he said, &quot;Our premier institutions of higher education are the vehicles on which India has to propel itself into a knowledge society.&quot;

&quot;These temples of learning must resound with creativity and free thinking,&quot; he said.

President Mukherjee&#39;s comments come amid the backdrop of the ongoing tussle between the right-wing ABVP and Left-backed AISA supporters in the Delhi University.

The President also cautioned against the &iacute;ntolerance&#39; against women.

His comments came in the backdrop of the raging debate over free speech and nationalism following recent tweets of&nbsp;Gurmehar Kaur, a Delhi University student who faced threats of rape and death after she launched a social media campaign against the ABVP violence.

Gurmehar was also trolled on social media for her statement on Twitter that &quot;Pakistan didn&#39;t killed my father but the war did&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
Pranab Mukherjee cautioned against the exploitation of &quot;fault lines&quot; in the society, intolerance and attack on women.

&quot;Protection and safety of our women and children must be a nationwide priority. The acid test of any society is its attitude towards women and children. India should not fail this test,&quot; he said.

In terse comments, Mukherjee said he does not consider a society or State to be civilised if its citizens&#39; behaviour towards women is uncivilised.

&quot;When we brutalise a woman, we wound the soul of our civilisation. Not only does our Constitution guarantee equal rights to women but our culture and tradition also celebrate the feminine as divine,&quot; he said.

The President said the country must be conscious of the fact that democracy required constant nurturing.

&quot;At no cost should we allow the exploitation of the fault lines. Those who spread violence must remember that Buddha, Ashoka and Akbar are remembered as heroes in history; not Hitler or Genghis Khan,&quot; he said.

The nation and the people must always come first, he said.

&quot;Let us strive to arrest the moral decline in our society and ensure that our core civilisational values find firm root. Let us exert ourselves to strengthen India&#39;s pluralism and diversity. Let us be uncompromising in rooting out violence, prejudice and hatred,&quot; he said.

President Mukherjee, who has been in public life for almost six decades, advised lawmakers and political activists to listen, engage, learn from people and respond to their needs and concerns.

He also asked lawmakers not to take people for granted and to raise issues of concern to the people as well as find solutions to their problems.

&quot;No one who holds any elected office has been invited by the voters to occupy that office. Each one has gone to the voters and pleaded for their votes and support. The trust placed by the people in the political system and those elected should not be betrayed,&quot; he said.

President Mukherji also criticised the ruckus in the Tamil Nadu state assembly during chief minister Palaniswamy&#39;s trust vote and said legislatures must not turn into arenas for combat.

&quot;Floor tests are not meant to be muscle tests. The opportunity to represent the people is not a right or entitlement but a moral obligation and duty. Our elected representatives owe it to the people of our country to act as models of exemplary conduct,&quot; he said.

He said if the Parliament and legislative assemblies became dysfunctional, it would result not just in the paralysis of those institutions but create an adverse impact across the system.

&quot;The debate and discussions which ought to take place in the open in the House of Parliament and assemblies cannot be replicated elsewhere. When they cease to function effectively, issues spill out onto the streets. The very basis of our democracy gets undermined,&quot; he said.

The President also raised an alarm about the frequent disruptions in Parliament, stating that interruptions had increased from 9.95 per cent in the 10th Lok Sabha to a shocking 41.6 per cent in the 15th Lok Sabha and about 16 per cent in the 16th Lok Sabha (up to the 10th session).

President Mukherjee said although the production of wealth must necessarily be one of the predominant objectives of state policy, it must be imbued with the principle of equality on which there can be no compromise.

&quot;An egalitarian society can only be created when growth is inclusive. It is important to ensure that there is justice and equality of opportunity and the state does not create conditions in which the privileged few gain at the cost of the multitudes who suffer endemic poverty,&quot; he said.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from PTI)

His comment came in the midst of the ongoing tussle and clashes in Delhi University between left- and right-wing student groups

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday condemned the recent clashes between right-and left-wing student groups in the capital's Delhi University, saying there should be no room in the country for the "intolerant Indian" in a country that had advocated free thought, speech and expression since ancient times. "Freedom of speech and expression is one of the most important fundamental rights guaranteed by our Constitution. There must be space for legitimate criticism and dissent," the President said in an address to lawmakers. He advocated free thinking in university campuses and said students and faculties must engage in "reasoned discussion and debate rather than propagating a culture of unrest". He also said it was tragic to see students caught in the vortex of violence and disquiet. "It is tragic to see them (students) caught in the vortex of violence and disquiet," President Mukherjee said. He was speaking at the sixth K S Rajamony Memorial Lecture in New Delhi. Underlining ancient glorious culture of universities in the country, he said, "Our premier institutions of higher education are the vehicles on which India has to propel itself into a knowledge society." "These temples of learning must resound with creativity and free thinking," he said. President Mukherjee's comments come amid the backdrop of the ongoing tussle between the right-wing ABVP and Left-backed AISA supporters in the Delhi University. The President also cautioned against the íntolerance' against women. His comments came in the backdrop of the raging debate over free speech and nationalism following recent tweets of Gurmehar Kaur, a Delhi University student who faced threats of rape and death after she launched a social media campaign against the ABVP violence. Gurmehar was also trolled on social media for her statement on Twitter that "Pakistan didn't killed my father but the war did". Pranab Mukherjee cautioned against the exploitation of "fault lines" in the society, intolerance and attack on women. "Protection and safety of our women and children must be a nationwide priority. The acid test of any society is its attitude towards women and children. India should not fail this test," he said. In terse comments, Mukherjee said he does not consider a society or State to be civilised if its citizens' behaviour towards women is uncivilised. "When we brutalise a woman, we wound the soul of our civilisation. Not only does our Constitution guarantee equal rights to women but our culture and tradition also celebrate the feminine as divine," he said. The President said the country must be conscious of the fact that democracy required constant nurturing. "At no cost should we allow the exploitation of the fault lines. Those who spread violence must remember that Buddha, Ashoka and Akbar are remembered as heroes in history; not Hitler or Genghis Khan," he said. The nation and the people must always come first, he said. "Let us strive to arrest the moral decline in our society and ensure that our core civilisational values find firm root. Let us exert ourselves to strengthen India's pluralism and diversity. Let us be uncompromising in rooting out violence, prejudice and hatred," he said. President Mukherjee, who has been in public life for almost six decades, advised lawmakers and political activists to listen, engage, learn from people and respond to their needs and concerns. He also asked lawmakers not to take people for granted and to raise issues of concern to the people as well as find solutions to their problems. "No one who holds any elected office has been invited by the voters to occupy that office. Each one has gone to the voters and pleaded for their votes and support. The trust placed by the people in the political system and those elected should not be betrayed," he said. President Mukherji also criticised the ruckus in the Tamil Nadu state assembly during chief minister Palaniswamy's trust vote and said legislatures must not turn into arenas for combat. "Floor tests are not meant to be muscle tests. The opportunity to represent the people is not a right or entitlement but a moral obligation and duty. Our elected representatives owe it to the people of our country to act as models of exemplary conduct," he said. He said if the Parliament and legislative assemblies became dysfunctional, it would result not just in the paralysis of those institutions but create an adverse impact across the system. "The debate and discussions which ought to take place in the open in the House of Parliament and assemblies cannot be replicated elsewhere. When they cease to function effectively, issues spill out onto the streets. The very basis of our democracy gets undermined," he said. The President also raised an alarm about the frequent disruptions in Parliament, stating that interruptions had increased from 9.95 per cent in the 10th Lok Sabha to a shocking 41.6 per cent in the 15th Lok Sabha and about 16 per cent in the 16th Lok Sabha (up to the 10th session). President Mukherjee said although the production of wealth must necessarily be one of the predominant objectives of state policy, it must be imbued with the principle of equality on which there can be no compromise. "An egalitarian society can only be created when growth is inclusive. It is important to ensure that there is justice and equality of opportunity and the state does not create conditions in which the privileged few gain at the cost of the multitudes who suffer endemic poverty," he said. (WION with inputs from PTI)

No room for intolerant Indian in this country, says President Pranab Mukherjee

The Lower House of India&#39;s Parliament, Lok Sabha, today, passed by a voice vote the Motion of Thanks to President&#39;s address amid protests by the Opposition led by the Congress party.

&quot;That the members of the Lok Sabha assembled in this session are deeply grateful to the President for the address which he has been pleased to deliver to both houses of Parliament assembled together on January 31, 2017,&quot; the motion said.

In his reply to the discussion on Motion of Thanks on President&#39;s address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an attack on the Congress for promoting dynastic politics. He asked the Congress why was the Benami law that was passed in 1988 during Rajiv Gandhi&#39;s tenure not notified for 26 years.

He also defended the government&#39;s decision to demonetise higher denomination currency and hailed the surgical strikes conducted by the Indian army.&nbsp;

The Congress and Communist Party of India-Marxist members staged a walkout in Parliament.&nbsp;

All the amendments proposed to the President&#39;s address were defeated.

(WION with inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The Congress and Communist Party of India-Marxist staged a walkout

The Lower House of India's Parliament, Lok Sabha, today, passed by a voice vote the Motion of Thanks to President's address amid protests by the Opposition led by the Congress party. "That the members of the Lok Sabha assembled in this session are deeply grateful to the President for the address which he has been pleased to deliver to both houses of Parliament assembled together on January 31, 2017," the motion said. In his reply to the discussion on Motion of Thanks on President's address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an attack on the Congress for promoting dynastic politics. He asked the Congress why was the Benami law that was passed in 1988 during Rajiv Gandhi's tenure not notified for 26 years. He also defended the government's decision to demonetise higher denomination currency and hailed the surgical strikes conducted by the Indian army. The Congress and Communist Party of India-Marxist members staged a walkout in Parliament. All the amendments proposed to the President's address were defeated. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India's Lower House passes Motion of Thanks to President's address amid ruckus by Opposition

Continuing the fight against demonetisation the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday asserted that the currency swap has adversely affected the nation, asserting that the ruling party has been carrying out a &#39;political vendetta&#39; against all parties opposing demonetisation.

Taking their agitation against banning of high denomination notes forward, TMC leader Derek O` Brien said that 45 MP&#39;s of West Bengal along with &nbsp;chief minister Mamata Banerjee will meet President Pranab Mukherjee later today to discuss the ill effect of demonetisation on the nation.

&quot;The Trinamool Congress has been holding protests across the country, in fact in nine states, today is the third day in Delhi. The state of the nation is not good. Our 45 MP&#39;s will go and talk to the President today and we are very thankful for him to give us time at 2 pm today. We will also give him a memorandum&quot; said Brien.

The TMC MP also slammed the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) for launching a&nbsp;political vendetta against their movement opposing demonetisation and said, &quot;The political vendetta launched by BJP on our party or any other opposing its demonetisation move is not right.&quot;

The TMC earlier this week launched countrywide protest demanding the&nbsp;removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to &quot;save the country&quot;.

Terming as &quot;flop show&quot; Prime Minister Modi&#39;s 8 November decision of spiking Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes, Trinamool supremo and West Bengal chief minister Banerjee said the party will hold demonstrations in Odisha, Punjab, Bihar, Manipur, Tripura,&nbsp; 
Assam and Jharkhand, besides West Bengal and the national capital.&nbsp;

(ANI)&nbsp;

TMC leader Derek O` Brien said that they will meet the President today to discuss the ill effect of demonetisation on the nation

Continuing the fight against demonetisation the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday asserted that the currency swap has adversely affected the nation, asserting that the ruling party has been carrying out a 'political vendetta' against all parties opposing demonetisation. Taking their agitation against banning of high denomination notes forward, TMC leader Derek O` Brien said that 45 MP's of West Bengal along with chief minister Mamata Banerjee will meet President Pranab Mukherjee later today to discuss the ill effect of demonetisation on the nation. "The Trinamool Congress has been holding protests across the country, in fact in nine states, today is the third day in Delhi. The state of the nation is not good. Our 45 MP's will go and talk to the President today and we are very thankful for him to give us time at 2 pm today. We will also give him a memorandum" said Brien. The TMC MP also slammed the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) for launching a political vendetta against their movement opposing demonetisation and said, "The political vendetta launched by BJP on our party or any other opposing its demonetisation move is not right." The TMC earlier this week launched countrywide protest demanding the removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "save the country". Terming as "flop show" Prime Minister Modi's 8 November decision of spiking Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes, Trinamool supremo and West Bengal chief minister Banerjee said the party will hold demonstrations in Odisha, Punjab, Bihar, Manipur, Tripura, Assam and Jharkhand, besides West Bengal and the national capital. (ANI)

Demonetisation: TMC targets BJP for 'political vendetta' on opposing parties

India&#39;s president Pranab Mukherjee slammed opposition parties for for routinely disrupting proceedings in Parliament saying 
it amounted to &quot;gagging of majority&quot; by the minority.&nbsp;

&quot;Disruption means you are hurt, you are gagging majority. Majority never participates in this disruption. Only minority comes to the well, shouts slogans, stops the proceedings and creates a situation in which the Chair has no option but to adjourn the House. This is totally unacceptable&quot;.

Mukherjee&#39;s scathing attack comes in the midst of paralysis of Parliament procedings for over a fortnight over the issue of demonetisation.

&quot;Disruption is totally unacceptable in Parliamentary system. People send representatives to speak and not to sit on dharna (agitation) and not to create any trouble on the floor,&quot; the president said during a lecture in capital New Delhi. He was speaking on the topic &quot;Electoral reforms for a stronger democracy&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;For demonstration, you can choose any other places. But for God&#39;s sake, do your job. You are meant to transact business. You are meant to devote your time for exercising the authority of members, particularly Lok Sabha members over money and finance,&quot; he said.

Mukherjee, a veteran Parliamentarian himself before he became president, lamented the routine disruption of Parliamentary proceedings, given that Parliament was in session for only a few weeks in a year. He said that even if a member was levelling an allegation against someone, no court could prosecute him because what he said was on the floor of the House.

&quot;Fact remains that this (disruption) has become a practice which should not be acceptable at all. Whatever be the differences, we have the opportunity, to speak our mind, to speak freely and no court can interfere in what I say on the floor of the House,&quot; he said. &quot;This type of freedom should not be misused by causing disruption,&quot; he said.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

Pranab Mukherjee's scathing attack comes in the midst of paralysis of Parliament procedings for over a fortnight over demonetisation

India's president Pranab Mukherjee slammed opposition parties for for routinely disrupting proceedings in Parliament saying it amounted to "gagging of majority" by the minority. "Disruption means you are hurt, you are gagging majority. Majority never participates in this disruption. Only minority comes to the well, shouts slogans, stops the proceedings and creates a situation in which the Chair has no option but to adjourn the House. This is totally unacceptable". Mukherjee's scathing attack comes in the midst of paralysis of Parliament procedings for over a fortnight over the issue of demonetisation. "Disruption is totally unacceptable in Parliamentary system. People send representatives to speak and not to sit on dharna (agitation) and not to create any trouble on the floor," the president said during a lecture in capital New Delhi. He was speaking on the topic "Electoral reforms for a stronger democracy" "For demonstration, you can choose any other places. But for God's sake, do your job. You are meant to transact business. You are meant to devote your time for exercising the authority of members, particularly Lok Sabha members over money and finance," he said. Mukherjee, a veteran Parliamentarian himself before he became president, lamented the routine disruption of Parliamentary proceedings, given that Parliament was in session for only a few weeks in a year. He said that even if a member was levelling an allegation against someone, no court could prosecute him because what he said was on the floor of the House. "Fact remains that this (disruption) has become a practice which should not be acceptable at all. Whatever be the differences, we have the opportunity, to speak our mind, to speak freely and no court can interfere in what I say on the floor of the House," he said. "This type of freedom should not be misused by causing disruption," he said. (WION with inputs from PTI)

'For god's sake, do your job': India's President slams opposition for disrupting Parliament

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday approved the&nbsp;Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill. 
 
The Goods and Services Tax will subsume a host of taxes that is currently charged by the the federal and state governments.&nbsp; 
 
The president&#39;s nod paves way for the creation of a GST council, a body that will decide the tax rate, cess and surcharges.&nbsp; 
 
Focus will also shift on to the states which are yet to ratify the GST Bill. So far, 18 out of 29 states have green-lit the bill.&nbsp; 
 
A flagship tax reform, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen to implement it from the next fiscal year.. 
 
The passing of the Bill in in the Indian Parliament on August 8 had its fair share of political bickering and differences.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from PTI) 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

The president's nod paves way for the creation of a GST council, a body that will decide the tax rate, cess and surcharges

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday approved the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill. The Goods and Services Tax will subsume a host of taxes that is currently charged by the the federal and state governments. The president's nod paves way for the creation of a GST council, a body that will decide the tax rate, cess and surcharges. Focus will also shift on to the states which are yet to ratify the GST Bill. So far, 18 out of 29 states have green-lit the bill. A flagship tax reform, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen to implement it from the next fiscal year.. The passing of the Bill in in the Indian Parliament on August 8 had its fair share of political bickering and differences. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Indian President approves Goods and Services Tax Bill

A delegation of opposition leaders from India&#39;s Kashmir met President Pranab Mukherjee in capital New Delhi on Saturday to apprise him of the prevailing unrest in the northern province. 
 
Kashmir has been on the boil since Indian security forces gunned down 22-year-old Burhan Wani, leader of Hizbul Mujahideen, a group fighting Indian control of the Muslim-majority region, on July 8.&nbsp;Wani represented a new generation of fighters in a region where alienation runs deep even though attacks have fallen dramatically in recent years.&nbsp;His killing has triggered the Valley&#39;s worst outbreak of violence in six years. 
 
The delegation included leaders from National Conference, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), Congress, Democratic Party Front (DPF) and People&#39;s Democratic Front (PDF). 
 
The delegation called for a political plan to diffuse the over month-and-a-half long crisis in India&#39;s only Muslim-majority state. 
 
&quot;The motive was to bring to the president&#39;s notice the situation with which the state of Jammu and Kashmir and especially the Kashmir valley is grappling. According to us, this is a big human tragedy which is being faced by our people,&quot; said a leader of CPI (M), Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami. 
 
Tarigami alleged that the federal and state government had so far followed an inhuman approach in tackling the situation. 
 
Meanwhile, curfew continued to remain in force for the 43rd consecutive day in the Valley with the police personnel maintaining strict vigil in Srinagar, the&nbsp;summer capital of the province. Shops remained shut and roads deserted as civilians chose to stay indoors.&nbsp;Repeated clashes between protesters and security forces have overwhelmed hospitals, where some patients with severe injuries said they had been beaten in their homes by troops. 
 
At least 65 people have been killed and 6,000 injured in the ensuing clashes, many of them wounded by pellets fired by security forces enforcing a curfew across the region.&nbsp;India has urged its security forces to act with restraint as they try to keep protesters off the streets and quell near-daily violence, but many segments have accused troops of using excessive force. 
 
Kashmir is at the centre of a decades-old rivalry between India and Pakistan, which rules a northwestern section of the divided region, and backed an insurgency in the late 1980s and 1990s that Indian security forces largely crushed.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

The delegation has called for a political plan to diffuse the month-and-a-half long crisis in Kashmir

A delegation of opposition leaders from India's Kashmir met President Pranab Mukherjee in capital New Delhi on Saturday to apprise him of the prevailing unrest in the northern province. Kashmir has been on the boil since Indian security forces gunned down 22-year-old Burhan Wani, leader of Hizbul Mujahideen, a group fighting Indian control of the Muslim-majority region, on July 8. Wani represented a new generation of fighters in a region where alienation runs deep even though attacks have fallen dramatically in recent years. His killing has triggered the Valley's worst outbreak of violence in six years. The delegation included leaders from National Conference, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), Congress, Democratic Party Front (DPF) and People's Democratic Front (PDF). The delegation called for a political plan to diffuse the over month-and-a-half long crisis in India's only Muslim-majority state. "The motive was to bring to the president's notice the situation with which the state of Jammu and Kashmir and especially the Kashmir valley is grappling. According to us, this is a big human tragedy which is being faced by our people," said a leader of CPI (M), Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami. Tarigami alleged that the federal and state government had so far followed an inhuman approach in tackling the situation. Meanwhile, curfew continued to remain in force for the 43rd consecutive day in the Valley with the police personnel maintaining strict vigil in Srinagar, the summer capital of the province. Shops remained shut and roads deserted as civilians chose to stay indoors. Repeated clashes between protesters and security forces have overwhelmed hospitals, where some patients with severe injuries said they had been beaten in their homes by troops. At least 65 people have been killed and 6,000 injured in the ensuing clashes, many of them wounded by pellets fired by security forces enforcing a curfew across the region. India has urged its security forces to act with restraint as they try to keep protesters off the streets and quell near-daily violence, but many segments have accused troops of using excessive force. Kashmir is at the centre of a decades-old rivalry between India and Pakistan, which rules a northwestern section of the divided region, and backed an insurgency in the late 1980s and 1990s that Indian security forces largely crushed. (Reuters)

Kashmir opposition leaders meet Indian President Pranab Mukherjee