Pranab Mukherjee today became the 13th President of India. He was administered the oath of office by Chief Justice of India Sarosh Homi Kapadia at an impressive ceremony in the historic Central Hall of Parliament.

The veteran leader took the oath in English in the name of God to a thunderous applause and thumping of desks by those in the packed Central Hall that included Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Speaker Meira Kumar, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and outgoing president Pratibha Patil. The gathering also included Cabinet Ministers, leaders of the Opposition, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, senior BJP leader LK Advani, Governors, Chief Ministers, MPs and diplomats. After he took oath, Mukherjee was offered a 21-gun salute marking the assumption of office of the highest Constitutional post in the country.

In his address, Mukherjee asserted that for the real development of the country, the poorest of the land must feel that they are part of the narrative of the rising India and poverty is erased from the dictionary of modern India. He said the trickle-down theories did not address legitimate aspirations of the poor and those at the bottom must be lifted up for a better life.

Terming terrorism as the fourth world war that the international community is facing, Mukherjee said India had been on the frontlines of this war long before many others could recognise its consequences. He sounded firm in his opinion that those, who instigate violence and perpetuate hatred need to understand the truth that few minutes of peace would achieve far more than many years of war. The new President reiterated that India would not be deflected in its mission by noxious practitioners of terror.

Calling corruption an evil that can depress the nation's mood and sap its progress, Mukherjee affirmed that the greed of a few could not be allowed to hijack the progress of the nation.

He said the country had achieved much in the field of agriculture, industry and social infrastructure, but it was nothing compared to what India, led by the coming generations, would create in the decades ahead.

Highlighting the importance of non-violence in nation building, Mukherjee said violence was external to human nature. Quoting Swami Vivekananda, he said India would rise not with the power of flesh but with the power of spirit.