Indian Constitution is without a doubt the best Constitution of the world as it gives to us full freedom and opportunities to grow, irrespective of our background, religion, gender, caste or economic status. These views were expressed at the Webinar on Constitution Day organized by Press Information Bureau and Regional Outreach Bureau, Imphal today.

Speaking on the occasion, Jarnail Singh, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, Manipur University said that we are lucky to have one of the best Constitutions of the world. The makers of our constitution have included the best elements of all constitutions of the world and we realize its importance when we go to the countries where the freedoms and rights granted by our constitutions are not there, he added. He said that the Constitution gives us the freedom to be ourselves and grow.

Dr. Yumnam Premananda Singh, Head of Law Department, Manipur University said that we are proud of our constitution because it guarantees that we will not be ruled by individuals but by rule of law. It is a beautifully drafted document that must be read, widely discussed and understood by all citizens, he said. He elaborated on the distinction between the provisions and spirit of Constitution and the application of it that is known as Constitutional Law. He gave a detailed overview of the structure of the Constitution.

In his welcome address, Additional Director General (NE Region), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting S N Pradhan said that our Constitution has served to keep our nation together, given hope and protection to millions of underprivileged and downtrodden individuals, shown the country the right path in times of turmoil and conflict and has been flexible enough to absorb the dreams of a growing nation and has grown along with it without losing its essential value system. He said that on 26 November 2015, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi said that the spirit of the Constitution is not ‘You’ or ‘I’, but ‘We’. He was speaking on the first Constitution Day that we celebrated – the government declared in 2015 that every year we would be celebrating 26 November as Samvidhan Divas or Constitution Day. In his speech on the occasion, PM said that the Constitution is not only for the governments to run their business with – it should reach the roots. Indeed, the provisions and spirit of the Constitution need to be understood by every citizen of the country, he added.

Delivering the vote of thanks, Abhishek Dayal, Director, PIB Imphal said that Eternal Vigilance is the price of liberty. In this spirit it is our duty to make every citizen aware of their duties and rights and must guard this beautiful structure of governance that has been formalized in form of our Constitution, he added.

Over 100 media persons, legal experts, officials of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and faculty and students of Manipur University attended the webinar.