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New Delhi:
Asking Maoists to abandon the path of violence, President Pratibha
Patil said they must come to the negotiating table for working out a
solution.
Addressing the nation on the eve of 64th Independence Day, she also
said terrorism poses the biggest threat to global peace and to
defeat it all nations should come together and ensure that
terrorists do not get sanctuaries and financial assistance.
"The proponents of extreme ideologies and the followers of Left Wing
Extremism must abandon their path of violence. I call on them to
join national efforts for growth and development," she said in the
address telecast on national television.
Maintaining that protracted development efforts will be required in
the Naxal-affected areas, Patil hoped that everybody, including the
civil society, will come forward and move the left wing extremists
in this direction.
The President said nation-building demands the ability to work
diligently and patiently, where the reward is the growth of the
nation rather than personal promotion and it requires unity of
purpose and the ability to focus on issues which unite.
"It requires a spirit of conciliation. This is possible when
dialogue is chosen as the channel for communication. By listening to
each other, respecting each other's viewpoint and understanding one
another, we can address issues before us," she said.
Biggest threat
Terming terrorism as the biggest threat to global peace, stability
and security, the President said peace was essential, if prosperity
was to be achieved and to defeat terror, all nations of the world
must work collectively.
"...so that terrorists have no sanctuaries, no training grounds, no
access to financial resources, no infrastructural support, and no
defenders of their ideology," she said.
Patil said powers have been given to those in government for
formulating policies and for implementation on the field and it
should always be remembered that this power must be used in a
responsible manner.
Zero
Corruption
"Zero tolerance towards corruption and working with the highest
standards of public service will definitely result in efficient
governance systems and will have a multiplier effect on development
and growth," she said.
The President said everyone must be law abiding and also work for
moral uplift as there has been an increasing emphasis on materialism
and growing insensitivity towards each other.
"Strong family bonds are weakening. Social consciousness is on the
decline. Some social evils persist. This must change. Today is the
best opportunity when ground-breaking achievements alongwith a moral
and ethical renaissance can take place," she said.
Collective Growth
Patil said India is at a historic phase when the world is shifting
course and it is impacting the country's economy, polity, trade,
commerce, education and pace of life.
"In this era of transformation, India definitely cannot lag behind.
Our entire effort must be to ensure that there is overall
development in which all people prosper," she said.
The President said India's credentials as the world's largest
democracy have been further reinforced with the deepening of
democracy at all levels.
"We have elected bodies existing from the national to the grassroot
level. Democracy has given citizens the right to participate in the
affairs of the nation. It has become a way of life in India," she
said.
Patil said, on the economic front, the country is ranked as the
world's fourth largest economy based on purchasing power parity and
is one of the fastest growing.
"The resilience of our economy was evident during the global
financial crisis which we weathered, better than many other
countries. The future holds great potential and promise.
However, many issues demand attention and the way we address them is
important," she said.
The President said it must be everyone's endeavour to ensure the
welfare of all and it was for this reason that India has adopted
inclusive growth as a pillar of its economic edifice and was
pro-actively pursuing it.
"Our task will be complete only when no one sleeps on a hungry
stomach, when no one sleeps on the footpath and when every child is
in school. Therefore, fittingly, education, capacity building,
housing, healthcare and nutrition are a priority on the agenda of
the government," she said.
Education is key
The President said empowerment through education is important as it
opens many doors of opportunity and the Right to Education Act has
made free and compulsory primary education for children a
fundamental right.
"It is important that secondary education is also universalised, as
we seek to increase enrolment levels in higher education. This will
provide the 'brain power' for the nation," she said.
Patil said people are living in an age where innovation was shaping
many areas of human activity, new technologies can enhance
agriculture and industrial productivity and efficient technologies
can facilitate the optimum utilisation of capital, labour and
resources.
"We have seen the impact of mobile telephone connectivity even in
our villages. Innovation and invention were always given weightage
as agents of change but perhaps never as high as now. The
categorisation of nations as rich and poor, developed and developing
may well be overtaken by a new definition of those nations that
innovate rapidly, as opposed to those which do so on a lower scale.
"To be in the forefront of cutting edge technologies, research and
development in all fields must be encouraged and pursued in the
country," she said.
Infrastructure
The President said work on the construction of physical
infrastructure must be speeded up as the country needs new roads,
ports, airports, power projects as well as reinforcement of existing
facilities.
"The augmentation will fill the infrastructural deficit that impedes
overall economic growth and is, in many ways, out of sync with our
image of an emerging global player. Our industries must continue to
grow. Indian companies should persist with efforts to be efficient
and globally competitive.
Some are already making their presence felt overseas," she said.
Patil said the country's agriculture requires a fresh perspective,
with new and radical ideas to steer it towards a second Green
Revolution, so that agriculture production, productivity and
profitability are increased.
"This is essential for our food security as well as price
stabilisation. At the same time, agriculture cannot be looked at in
isolation. It needs to be connected with other sectors of the
economy. Linking industry with agriculture would provide a basis for
growth of industry in the rural areas and also promote agriculture
business," she said.
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