Page 25 - MANN KI BAAT (English)
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significant  achievements  in  the   the provinces, princely states,
          nation’s modern history. In short,   and other territories, and its
          it epitomises the truth that India   primary responsibility was to
          is civilisationally democratic    formulate the Constitution for
          and in harmony with diversity.    the newly independent nation.
              The  process of drafting  the   The assembly was charged with
          Constitution,  which  spanned     the  difficult  task  of  reconciling
          over    two   years,   eleven     the diverse ethnic, linguistic,
          months, and eighteen days,        and religious groups within India
          was an extraordinary feat of      while ensuring the protection
          constitutional    engineering,    of  fundamental   rights  and
          undertaken by the Constituent     freedoms for all its citizens.
          Assembly of India, which was         One of the most pivotal
          entrusted  with  the  task  of    figures  in  the  creation  of  the
          framing the law of the land       Indian  Constitution  was  Dr
          post-independence.                BR Ambedkar, who served as
              The Indian independence       the  Chairman  of the Drafting
          movement, led by exemplary        Committee.    His  leadership
          figures   such   as   Mahatma     and vision were integral to
          Gandhi,   Jawaharlal   Nehru,     shaping  the  final  document.
          Sardar   Patel,  and  Dr   BR     Dr Ambedkar’s advocacy for
          Ambedkar, laid the groundwork     the  rights  of  marginalised
          for the need for a Constitution   groups  was  reflected  in  the
          that  would  be  reflective  of   Constitution’s  provisions  for
          India’s values, aspirations, and   social   justice,   affirmative
          historical  experiences.  Upon    action, and the abolition of
          gaining independence in 1947,     untouchability.
          India was in a state of transition,   Additionally,         the
          with colonial rule giving way to   Constitution  enshrined  the
          self-governance. The question     principles of equality, liberty,
          of how best to structure the      and   fraternity,  which  were
          Indian state to ensure  justice,   crucial in addressing the long-
          equality, and liberty for all     standing social and political
          citizens became a pressing        inequities faced by various
          concern.                          sections of Indian society. As
              The   first   step   towards   Dr. Ambedkar observed while
          creating the Indian Constitution   summing up the debate on the
          began with the establishment of   Constitution in the Constituent
          the Constituent Assembly in 1946.   Assembly on November 25,
          The assembly was composed         1949: “These principles of liberty,
          of elected representatives from   equality and fraternity are not

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