New Delhi:Insisting that peace and communal har-mony must be ensured, President Pranab Mukher-jee on Wednesday said that liberties, freedom and equality were guaranteed in the Constitution and any deviation from these princi-ples would weaken the democratic fabric of the country. “Every Indian looks forward to the Consti-tution as the guarantor of liberties, freedom and equality. Any deviation from the principles and provisions embodied in the Constitution would weaken the democratic fabric of the country and jeopardise the social, economic and political well-being of our citizens,” he said in his opening remarks at the 46th Governors Conference here.
The President said the Governors and Lt.Gove-rnors have the “primary responsibility” to ensure that the affairs of the states and Union Territories are conducted strictly in accor-dance with the letter and spirit of this hallowed docu-ment. “Prevalence of peace and communal harmony must be ensured,” he said at the two-day conference attended by PM Narendra Modi, cabinet ministers, 21 Governors and two LGs.
The agenda for the con-ference includes security-internal and external with special focus on border security in States sharing international frontiers, financial inclusion, employ-ment generation and employability, making skill development programmes effective, sanitation – achie-ving the goal of Swachh Bharat by 2019 on Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth annive-rsary and issues relating to Fifth and Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India and development of NE Areas.
On the international front, the President said India followed a policy of maintaining peaceful rela-tions with all countries and “all disputes, relating to our border areas or otherwise, should be resolved through peaceful means.” (PTI)
