A confident Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh sent out a positive Independence Day message that India had self faith, political stability and economic strength to march towards “a golden future.”
The Prime Minister calls for a “new era of cooperation and harmony in our national life.” Asserting that people had rejected in the last election sectarian politics and have “chosen a political arrangement which is secular,” the Prime Minister promises to take every one along and to create “an environment of consensus and cooperation in the country.”
Spelling out his philosophy and priorities the Prime Minister asserted that his government will pay special attention to minorities. He insisted that caring for minorities is not appeasement.
Highlights of PM’s speech
• PM warns hoarders and black-marketers
• No one will go hungry
• No need to panic in the face of H1N1 flu. No disruption of daily lives.
• Effort to ensure that benefits of development reach all sections of society and all regions and citizens of the country.
• That every citizen of India is prosperous and secure and is able to lead a life of dignity and self respect.
• Restoring our growth rate to 9% is the greatest challenge we face. We expect that there will be an improvement in the situation by the end of this year.
• Appeal to businessmen and industrialists to join in effort to tackle difficult situation and fulfill their social obligation.
• This year there has been deficiency in the monsoons. We will provide all possible assistance to our farmers to deal with the drought.
• Date for repayment of farmers bank loans postponed. Additional support given to farmers for payment of interest on short term crop loans.
• We have adequate stocks of foodgrains. All efforts will be made to control rising prices of foodgrains, pulses and other goods of daily use.
• Country needs another Green Revolution, the goal is 4% annual growth in agriculture. Achievable in the next 5 years.
• Food security law under which every below poverty line family will get a fixed amount of foodgrains every month at concessional rates.
• Special care to be taken of needs of women and children. To extend the benefit of ICDS to every child below the age of six years by March 2012.
• NREGA program to be improved to bring more transparency and accountability into it.
• Right to Education Act enacted, funds will not be a constraint.
• We will give special attention to the needs of disabled children.
• Secondary education will be expanded through a program that will ensure that every child in the country gets its benefit.
• Will provide bank loans and scholarships to the maximum possible number of students to support their education.
• New scheme to help students from economically weaker sections get education loans at reduced interest rates. Will benefit about 5 lakh students in technical and professional courses.
• The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana to be expanded to cover every family below the poverty line.
• Additional funds allocated for Bharat Nirman - the programs for development of rural and urban areas to be speeded up.
• Accelerated efforts to improve physical infrastructure in the country. Construction of 20 Km of National Highways every day.
• Railways have started work on the Dedicated Freight Corridors.
• Road, Rail and civil aviation projects being implemented in J & K and the North Eastern States will be specially monitored.
• In a step to make the country slum free new scheme Rajiv Awas Yojana being launched.
• India will meet the challenge of climate change through 8 National Missions.
• The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, aimed at increasing the use of solar energy and making it affordable will be launched on 14th Nov. this year.
• We need a new culture of energy conservation.
• More attention to programs for water collection and storage. "Save Water" should be one of our national slogans.
• Every government should be sensitive to people's complaints and dissatisfaction. But nothing is achieved by destroying public property and indulging in violence and the government will deal firmly with such people.
• To root out terrorist activities, our security forces and intelligence agencies are being constantly upgraded. With cooperation from all sections of society we will succeed.
• Redoubled efforts to deal with militant activities. Will extend all help to the State Governments to make their police forces more effective.
• Those who think that they can seize power by recourse to the gun do not understand the power of our democracy.
• Will endeavour to remove those causes of social and economic dissatisfaction which give rise to problems like Naxalism.
• Seek active partnership of the our Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe brothers and sisters in our development process.
• The schemes for the welfare of the minorities to be taken forward.
• Funds enhanced substantially for the special schemes for development of minority concentration districts.
• A Bill to prevent communal violence has been introduced in Parliament and efforts will be made to convert it into a law as soon as possible.
• Female foeticide is a shame on all of us. We must eliminate it as early as possible.
• Our government is committed to the early passage of the Women's Reservation Bill.
• Working on a legislation to provide 50% reservation for women in rural and urban local bodies.
• National Female Literacy Mission to be launched, Aims to reduce female illiteracy by half in three years.
• Have accepted the recommendations of the committee on the issue of pension of ex-servicemen. This will benefit 12 lakh retired jawans and JCOs.
• Will take care of the special needs of the backward regions with redoubled efforts to remove regional imbalances.
• Government constantly endeavours to make the North Eastern States equal partners in the country's progress. Without their well-being the country cannot move forward.
• There have been two elections in J& K in past year with people participating vigorously. Proof that there is no place for separatist thought in the state.
• Endeavour to ensure that human rights are respected J&K and all its citizens are able to live in peace and dignity in an environment of safety and security.
• As far as our neighbours are concerned, we want to live with them in peace and harmony. Will make every possible effort to create an environment conducive to the social and economic development of the whole of South Asia.
• Benefit of good programs will not reach the people till the government machinery is not corruption free. Public administration to be more efficient.
• Need to improve delivery systems to provide basic services to our citizens.
• Renewed efforts to decentralize public administration through the Panchayati Raj Institutions and to ensure greater involvement of people.
• Initiative will be taken for a new partnership between the civil society and the government so that tax payers' money is better spent.
• Right to Information Act to be improved to make it is more effective and enhance accountability and transparency.
• Special efforts to strengthen administrative machinery for rural programs
• Unique Identification Authority of India set up. First set of identity numbers expected to be available in the next one to one and a half years.
• Nation building will be our highest duty.
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