President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday said women are today marching forward in all areas with determination and hard work.

Women are excelling in every field, be it guarding the country's borders or flying aircraft, and they are making the country proud, she said in an address at a civic reception hosted in her honour at the Punjab Raj Bhavan here.

"Our daughters are marching forward in all areas with determination...they are excelling in every field. From guarding the country's borders to being fighter plane pilots, and from being entrepreneurs to IAS and IPS officers, and doctors They are moving ahead in all fields," Murmu said.

Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit also spoke on the occasion.

Earlier in the afternoon, the President graced the 90th anniversary celebrations of the Indian Air Force at Sukhna lake.

She said a batch of 175 trainees of IAS had come to the Rashtrapati Bhavan and 52 of them were women.

Murmu referred to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's contribution in shaping the idea of self-help groups for empowering rural women.

In villages, girls are now given more opportunities to study and set up their careers, she said.

She added that it was the responsibility of the society to encourage both girls and boys to move forward in life so that our country can march ahead.

Addressing the gathering, the President said that every year, during the winter season, the issue related to the air quality gets discussed all over the country, especially in this region.

Everyone suffers from the ill-effects of pollution. She said the fundamental basis of the Indian way of life has been the harmony of humans with nature. The well-being of mankind lies in the art of living with nature, Murmu added.

From social and religious reforms to the freedom struggle, and from agricultural revolution to the industrial development, the region of Punjab and Haryana has played a very important role in the country, the President said.

In the 1960s, when our country was going through a food crisis, farmers of Punjab and Haryana made the green revolution a success. This ensured the food security of the country, she said.

The President said Chandigarh has a special significance for both Punjab the land of five rivers and Haryana the cradle of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita.

It has the distinction of being the capital of both the states. People from both these states come to Chandigarh for education, employment, medical and many other reasons, Murmu added.

Therefore, Chandigarh occupies a very important place in the lives of people of Punjab and Haryana, she said.

The President said that along with the UT of Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana have been endowed with many unique gifts by nature.

"It is our duty to cherish them. We should leave all those ways which are not in accordance with nature and through which pollution spreads. This applies to all of us. We should also take the help of science and technology in creating harmony with nature," she said.

She said men and women are equal stakeholders of the country. They should be given equal opportunities to move ahead.

Murmu added that the city was the best example of modern architecture and urban planning.