The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, presented the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for the years 2013-2017 today (August 1, 2018) in New Delhi.

Speaking on the occasion, the President congratulated all those being conferred with the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award – Smt Najma Heptulla, Shri Hukmdev Narayan Yadav, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Shri Dinesh Trivedi and Shri Bhartruhari Mahtab.   He said that as parliamentarians, each of them has added value to the proceedings of the House. They have done so while maintaining the dignity of Parliament, using their knowledge and wisdom. They have conducted themselves in a manner that is a model for other members.

The President said that the soul of Indian democracy lies in Parliament. MPs are not just representatives of a particular party or constituency. They are the trustees of our constitutional ideals. All MPs are accountable for the hopes and aspirations of millions of our citizens. This is a very big responsibility.

The President said that the people of India, especially the poor and the underprivileged, look upon their representatives with great expectations. They nurture the expectation that their representatives will make every effort to improve their lives and those of their children. And for this reason they want to see their representatives busy and relentlessly at work for the welfare of common citizens. In Parliament, people expect discussions on their problems and suggestions on the resolution of these problems. To meet the expectations of the people of India is the touchstone we must use to judge the efficacy of the parliamentary system.