New Delhi: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among a host of prominent leaders who wished President Droupadi Murmu a long and healthy life on her 66th birthday on Thursday.
Scores of citizens and various leaders took to microblogging platform 'X' to wish Murmu, while some dignitaries called on her at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here. "On my birthday, I am delighted to receive warm wishes from fellow citizens. Your love and bonding is a source of energy and inspiration for me. I express my thankfulness and wish everyone a bright future," the president said on X.
She started her day by visiting the Lord Jagannath temple in Delhi where she prayed for the welfare of all citizens. "Jai Jagannath! Today I visited the Jagannath temple in Delhi and prayed for the welfare of all countrymen and also (wished) that our country continues to set new standards of progress," the president's office said in another post on X, in Hindi, along with pictures of the visit.
Murmu was born on June 20, 1958 at Uparbeda village in Odisha's Mayurbhanj. She was sworn in as the country's 15th President on July 25, 2022.
In his birthday greetings to Murmu, Prime Minister Modi said the president's "wisdom and emphasis on serving the poor and marginalised are a strong guiding force".
"Warm birthday wishes to Rashtrapati Ji. Her exemplary service and dedication to our nation inspire us all. Her wisdom and emphasis on serving the poor and marginalised are a strong guiding force," Modi said in a post on X.
"Her life journey gives hope to crores of people. India will always be grateful to her for her tireless efforts and visionary leadership. May she be blessed with a long and healthy life," he added.
"Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar along with his wife Dr Sudesh Dhankhar called on President Droupadi Murmu and conveyed birthday greetings to the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan," read another post on X by her office.
Earlier in the day, the president had visited Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya National Institute for Persons with Physical Disabilities in New Delhi where she spent time with 'Divyang' (diffrently-abled) children, students and witnessed a cultural performance by them.
Murmu also visited the renovated Prosthesis and Orthosis Centre here and interacted with patients. She also inaugurated MITTI cafe, which is managed by differently-abled people, in the President's Estate. She spent time in the cafe and celebrated her birthday with the staff.
MITTI is an award winning non-profit organisation that provides employment and experiential training to adults with physical, intellectual, and psychiatric disabilities. The MITTI cafe is a movement towards an inclusive society where everyone, regardless of their abilities, has the opportunity to thrive and contribute.
The non-profit organisation is creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for persons with disabilities and creating awareness about disability through cafes, community meals and skill development initiatives, the president's secretariat said. Murmu also interacted with children of President's Estate who had participated in summer camp and art workshops organised in Rashtrapati Bhavan during their vacation.
Former president Ram Nath Kovind along with his family members met Murmu and conveyed birthday greetings to her. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Odisha Governor Raghubar Das and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, along with Ministers of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary and Sukanta Majumdar, also called on Murmu to wish her.
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and his spouse, Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh along with Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita and Minister of State for Rural Development, Kamlesh Paswan also met the president at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
