India will become a developed country by 2047 if the Constitution is followed in letter and spirit, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Wednesday. Addressing a Constitution Day event at the Central Hall of the Old Parliament building, now called 'Samvidhan Sadan', Birla said after long deliberations, the framers of the Constitution adopted the key document on this day in 1949, paving the way for India to become a vibrant democracy. "Today, it is our collective goal to make India a developed country by 2047 and this goal will be achieved only when we imbibe the values and ideals of the Constitution," he said.
Birla said if we follow the Constitution in letter and spirit, we will create an India for future generations which will be an example of development, justice, unity, friendship and humanity. The speaker noted that the Constitution is a live document, which takes care of the needs of every citizen and it is our duty to follow the principles enshrined in it. Since 2015, Constitution Day or Samvidhan Diwas is celebrated on November 26 to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949. While some provisions of the Constitution came into force immediately, the others came into effect on January 26, 1950, when India became a Republic. It was at the iconic Central Hall that the Constituent Assembly met to frame the Constitution. "This central chamber of the Constituent Assembly is the sacred place where our Constitution was shaped after intense discussion, dialogue and deliberation. The aspirations of the people were captured in constitutional provisions...," Birla said. President Droupadi Murmu led the celebrations to mark Constitution Day at the historic Central Hall As part of the event, the Constitution was launched digitally in nine languages -- Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Punjabi, Bodo, Kashmiri, Telugu, Odia and Assamese -- prepared by the legislative department of the Union law ministry. A commemorative booklet on calligraphy in the original Constitution was also released.