Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma (1918-1999):
Term of Office: 25 July 1992 to 25 July 1997

Coming to the 9^th President of India, Dr. Shankar Dayal Sahrma had started serving India from 1940s with his different roles as a freedom fighter, and also he had served in different political roles as a prominent member of Indian National Congress. His speeches on Republic Day Eve addressed various issues which India faced on that time. He tried to acknowledge every sphere and sector in his speech and he gave more importance for setting priority to the ‘development’, ‘a growth with social justice’, and ‘welfare of the nation’.  

In one of his famous speech on Republic Day Eve, he said “I pray for India's advancement from strength to strength, rising and powerful nation, leading the world in the years to come, to a higher level of civilization.

... And yet who can deny the range of problems and deficiencies which cry for solution? Abject poverty, hunger, disease and ignorance torment many and raise questions as to the validity and efficaciousness of our policies and programmes.

Crimes against weaker sections and women, acts of violence and intimidation, challenge our claims of building an egalitarian society. The fruits of progress to a substantial extent are negated by our burgeoning population and the complexities innate to the task of equitable distribution in a country of India's diversities and dimensions.

...I feel we need to ponder over Bapu's words. I feel convinced that India's need today is for a profound moral and ethical rejuvenation, the building of a nationwide commitment to our national values and goals and the integration and unification of the people.

Simultaneously, there must be a forthright and outright rejection of casteism and communalism with its invidious, sinister nexus with corruption and criminality....”