1.At the very outset, I would like to welcome guests from India and abroad for participating in the presentation of the ninth national biennial award for grassroots innovations and outstanding traditional knowledge. At the outset, let me congratulate the award winners for their contribution in the sphere of innovation.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!

1.To begin with, let me congratulate the winners of Visitor’s Awards, 2017 – Jawaharlal Nehru University, which has been adjudged the Best University; and the scientists from the Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Banaras Hindu University and Tezpur University, who have been awarded in the categories of innovation and research.

1.I am happy to join you for this concluding session of Pitch@RB and address entrepreneurs, investors, industry members, start-ups and other enablers of the start-up eco-system. It gives me pleasure to see this conglomeration of young and innovative minds, who may not be very experienced yet, but have the drive to succeed.

1.I am indeed very happy to be amidst you on the occasion of International Women’s Day. We, in India acknowledge, remember and celebrate our women in many ways in our everyday life. Today, on International Women’s Day, we join the world in paying tribute to women - the world over - for their selfless gifts to society.

I am happy to be here amongst you at the closing of the one week long ‘Festival of Innovations’. The festival has seen spirited exchanges and collaboration between different stakeholders who are part of the innovation value chain.

I am happy to be here today for the special convocation of the University of Mumbai, which is one of the first three universities to be set up in India. This historic institution is a beacon of knowledge and scholarship. It has produced illustrious individuals in all fields.

1.The enormous gap between the potential and reality of development in Bihar and Jharkhand, the former having plenty of fertile land and the latter endowed with abundant mineral resources, has attracted the attention of many scholars.

A very good evening!

It is a privilege for me to be present amidst you to welcome you all to Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Dear Friends,

I am indeed happy to be amidst you on the occasion of the First NIMCARE World Health Day - Global Summit. Celebrated on April 7 every year to mark the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization, the World Health Day provides a unique opportunity to mobilize action around a specific health topic of concern to people all over the world. The theme of the 2017 W.H.O.