In Parliament speech, President recalls 'sacrifice' by soldiers in Galwan clash

In his first Parliament speech of the year, President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday recalled the Army lives lost in Galwan Valley clash with China last year and said his government is committed to the protection of the interests of the nation.

"Twenty jawans made the supreme sacrifice in Galwan valley in June 2020. Every citizen is grateful to these martyrs. My government is committed to the protection of the interests of the nation," President Kovind said.

The President also assured the country by saying extra Forces have been deployed at Line of Actual Control (LAC) for protection of India's sovereignty.

President Kovind was addressing a joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament. In his address, the President condemned the violence that broke out on Republic Day in the national capital and said that the national flag and the national day were insulted in the past few days.

The President said that while the constitution provides freedom of expression to all, it also teaches people to follow rules and regulations seriously.

"The national flag and a holy day like Republic Day were insulted in the past few days. The constitution that provides us Freedom of Expression, is the same constitution that teaches us that law and rules have to be followed seriously," he said.

During the joint session, President Kovind also paid tribute to people who succumbed to Covid-19. He lauded the Central government for its "timely decision" taken by the government during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic that "saved the lives of lakhs of citizens" and pointed out that the number of new coronavirus cases was going down rapidly in the country.

The first part of the ongoing budget session will continue till February 15. The second part of the session will be held from March 8 to April 8.

In this Budget session, the Rajya Sabha will function from 9am to 2pm and Lok Sabha from 4pm to 9pm with Zero Hour and Question Hour.