In a first, Pranab to share report card with public

President Pranab Mukherjee's office is planning to come out with a 'report to the people' on July 25 to mark the completion of his first year in the highest office. Saubhadra Chatterji reports.

President Pranab Mukherjee's office is planning to come out with a 'report to the people' on July 25 to mark the completion of his first year in the highest office.

The report - a compilation of his activities over the past year - will be the first of its kind for the President's office. Sources said the report is aimed at continuing the process of bringing the Rashtrapati Bhavan closer to the common man. It also seeks to show that India's first citizen has remained active in office despite retiring from a hectic political life.

It will highlight that Mukherjee, unlike his predecessor Pratibha Patil, has been selective about foreign tours. He visited only two countries but toured all states in his first year.

His initiatives such as opening parts of the Rashtrapati Bhavan for public viewing, allowing families of all Rashtrapati Bhavan employees to use its sports facilities and shunning ceremonial titles are being pitched as efforts to reach out to the aam aadmi. A list of his public speeches and his interventions in social sectors, especially education, will also form parts of the report.