EMBARGOED TILL 1900 HRS INDIAN STANDARD TIME ON
JANUARY 25, 2010
ADDRESS
OF H.E. THE PRESIDENT OF
My fellow citizens,
On the eve of our 61st Republic Day, I extend my
warmest greetings to all of you across the country and also to those living
abroad. To the members of our Armed Forces and Para-military forces who guard
our frontiers and to our internal security forces, I extend my special
greetings.
26th January, this year marks the completion of six
decades of working, striving and, all along, being guided by the principles and
objectives of the Constitution that was framed after careful deliberations and
adopted in 1950. I often recall the speech of Mahatma Gandhi at the launch of
the Quit India Movement on 8th August, 1942, where he said that power, when it
comes, will belong to the people of
Foremost amongst what we must continue with, is our
democratic principles and way of life. We have ably demonstrated that we are a
functioning democracy, by time and again, choosing our governments through the
ballot and by taking democracy to the grassroots. Also, as we are aware,
democracy is very much more demanding. It is the rule of law. It is the rule of
reason. And, as
Belonging to a civilization that has deep reverence
towards nature, we must also be sensitive inhabitants of the Planet, in which
climate change has become a major challenge. We must judiciously use its
resources, work to conserve its rich flora and fauna as well as adopt
environment friendly approaches. Use of energy efficient technologies and
renewable sources of energy, are some steps that can reduce the carbon
footprint.
Dear Citizens,
Our nation has made significant strides. We are the
fourth largest economy of the world in terms of purchasing power parity. Our
target of achieving a double digit growth rate is plausible and realistic,
given our impressive performance during the last decade and our resilience
during the global economic downturn. We should continue with policies that
promote growth, and also take growth patterns to the bottom of the pyramid and,
to those currently outside its purview. Empowering the poor and the disadvantaged,
enabling them to move up the economic ladder, to join the ranks of the
prosperous, is a task that must be accomplished by all of us. Women need to be
made full and equal partners. The inclusive growth strategy, which we have
chosen, can make our growth process equitable and sustainable.
The roadmap to inclusive growth requires social
justice that can be delivered through an effective social sector
infrastructure. It should make quality education and good health facilities
available to all citizens, along with social services and job opportunities.
This, in turn, will create a human resource base which has the skills,
knowledge and capacity to work productively. Hence, our attention must remain
focused on this, especially as we have a young population. They must be
nurtured and prepared for taking up their responsibilities. Future growth in
all sectors will depend on knowledge workers and skilled workforces. They can
make our economy dynamic, our service sector efficient and competitive, our
manufacturing industries broad based and our agriculture and allied sectors
strong. Furthermore, integrating and developing linkages between sectors, say
agriculture and industry, will further reinforce growth. These linkages can be
fortified by having connectivity at various levels. For a nation which is the
seventh largest in geographical terms and the second largest in terms of
population, our existing physical infrastructure is inadequate. This constrains
and limits connectivity. We have to change this situation. The number of
bridges, roads, harbours as well as our power
generation capacity and transport facilities, among others, require extensive
additions. But, do not forget that along with these structures of cement, steel
and mortar, it is also important to bridge our differences, build roads to
connect hearts and minds, harbour compassion,
generate goodwill towards all and transport these feelings to strengthen the
unity of the nation. We will also have to create an atmosphere for our citizens
to exercise their rights and tell them to perform their duties as well. This is
important to make the development of a democratic nation of over one billion
people, participatory and sustainable. In the next decade, not only must we
witness the speedy building up of infrastructure, but also a greater
cohesiveness among citizens.
A bottleneck and an impediment in bringing about the
desired results, for which policies and schemes have been formulated and huge
allocation of funds made, is weak implementation and corruption in the system.
The causes of the chronic ailment of tardy implementation have to be treated.
There should be accountability for lack of implementation of projects,
programmes and schemes. This is critical for bringing about positive change.
Public-Private Partnerships and SHGs,
that is Self-Help Groups, are important mechanisms for outcome-oriented action
and for creating a wide network of stakeholders for growth. There have been
numerous examples of how women in urban and rural areas have been able to become
financially self-reliant through the SHG route. A movement towards universalisation of SHGs, that
brings within its ambit all eligible women, can be a powerful instrument for
the economic empowerment of women and for inclusive growth. Facilitation of their
formation and functioning will, thus, create a wave of progress and change.
Dear Citizens,
The world over, as also in our country, there is a
rising demand for food-grains. This foretells the need for an intense focus on
increasing agriculture productivity to ensure food availability, particularly
of agricultural produces which are in short supply, to avoid spiraling food
prices. To achieve this very important objective, I call for urgent steps
towards a Second Green Revolution. There should be use of new technologies,
better seeds, improved farming practices, effective water management
techniques, as well as more intense frameworks for connecting the farmer with
the scientific community, with lending institutions and with markets. Our
farmers are ready and willing to work, earn and learn. We have to respond
positively and do some “out of the box thinking”. Higher agriculture incomes
will improve the living standards of the over 145 million rural households, in
the over six lakh villages of the country. With
higher income levels, the rural economy will generate demand and provide
impetus for growth in other sectors. Recognizing this reality, we have to
involve the agriculture economy more pro-actively into the growth process, both
as a centre of production and as a generator of demand for various products and
services. There are many complementarities that exist between farming
communities and the corporate world because both are private enterprises. The
possibilities of win-win partnerships between industry and agriculture should
be explored. For example, the food processing industry when located close to
agricultural areas can transform
Dear Citizens,
Today, the optimum use of capital or labour or resources across the entire spectrum of our
national activity is dependent on cutting-edge technologies and technological
breakthroughs. We need technologies for more efficient and cleaner energy, for
our industry and agriculture.
A change which is required, and of which I have spoken
often is the eradication of social malpractices in particular those related to
discrimination against women. These pose a hindrance on our path to building a
more progressive and equitable nation. We should follow a positive agenda for
the empowerment of women. A change in our mindsets will be important to remove
prejudices and create equal opportunities for all citizens. This is essential
for our inclusive growth agenda and for tapping the full potential of our
population.
In any mission, particularly one as complex and challenging as nation building,
as has been said by our first Prime Minister Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru, “We have to labour, and to work,
and to work hard, to give reality to our dreams.” For this, motivational levels
have to be kept high.
Media can have an important influence on how people
see the country. With relentless advances in technology, media is now an
integral part of our daily lives. It can create awareness by bringing
information to the people, getting them to reflect, and making them realize
their responsibilities towards the nation. With a media that plays a
constructive role, people would be inspired to take actions that would
contribute to building the nation and also to learn about the benefits of
positive actions.
For growth, an environment of security is essential.
Government is committed to maintain high vigil and take appropriate measures to
address internal security challenges. Our country has been a target of
terrorism for more than two decades. Government has taken and will continue to
take necessary steps to tackle threats emanating from terrorism. It will also
continue to work with the international community to combat this menace. As in
the past, in the future also, the voice of
As 2009 came to a close, there have been many analyses
about what are the possible prospects of the next decade for
With these words, I once again wish all fellow citizens peace, prosperity and
progress on the occasion of our Republic Day.
JAI
HIND.