India, July 1 -- GORAKHPUR President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday underscored the transformative power of education, calling it the most effective means of empowerment, as she inaugurated key facilities including a girls' hostel, an academic building, an auditorium and a panchakarma centre at Maharana Pratap Shiksha Parishad's Gorakhnath University here.

She said lack of infrastructure and safety concerns are major barriers that continue to discourage girls from pursuing higher education.

Addressing a gathering at the university, Murmu shared her personal journey of moving nearly 300km from her village to Bhubaneswar in 1970-71 to continue her education after Class 7. She credited the availability of a safe hostel as a crucial factor in en...