'The Government Remains Committed To Secularism'

Honourable Members,I extend a warm welcome to you at this first session of Parliament in 2003.This is my first Address to Parliament at the start of the Budget Session.

2. Let me first welcome the newly elected Members of the Rajya Sabha, asalso of the Lok Sabha. I congratulate the people of Jammu and Kashmir who,in the October elections to the State Assembly, replied to the threat ofthe bullet with the power of the ballot. The entire Nation is grateful toour Armed Forces, Paramilitary Forces, and Police Forces for theirdedicated service under extremely trying conditions. We pay our homage tothose who became martyrs in the call of their duty.

3. Today I would like all of you to join me in paying tribute to KalpanaChawla and her six fellow astronauts, who died in the tragic break-up ofSpace Shuttle Columbia minutes before its touchdown on February 1. Theremarkable journey of courage and determination that made this Indianwoman, hailing from a small town in Haryana, a Citizen of the Milky Waywill remain a source of pride for all Bharatvasis and Bharatvanshis. Itwill also inspire young Indians, especially women, to dream big and to workhard to realize their dreams. I commend ISRO's gesture in naming the METSATseries of satellites after Kalpana Chawla.

4. This is the first session of Parliament after the National DevelopmentCouncil adopted the Tenth Five-Year Plan. The Plan aims at accomplishingfaster economic growth with a stronger thrust on employment generation andequity. It has set the target of 8 percent annual average GDP growth rateduring the Plan period, with a companion target of 5 crore additionalemployment and self-employment opportunities. The Plan convincinglyexplains why these ambitious goals are achievable. It has distinguisheditself from the previous Plans by underscoring that it is not merely aResources Plan, but a Reforms Plan. It has deepened the domain of economicreforms by, especially, providing reforms-linked incentives to StateGovernments. It has also broadened the agenda of reforms by showing thecategorical imperative to remove numerous non-financial barriers to fasterdevelopment through reforms in civil service, judiciary, education, andabove all, in governance at all levels-at the Centre, States, andPanchayati Raj Institutions. I would especially like to draw the attentionof the Union and State Governments to the detailed list, contained in thePlan document, of the legislative and administrative initiatives needed totranslate the Tenth Plan's goals and targets into reality.

5. The Tenth Plan is important for yet another reason. No nation attainsgreatness without an energizing vision guiding it. The Prime Minister, inhis Independence Day address last year, has called upon the people tostrive towards the goal of transforming India into a Developed Nation by2020. This vision captures our people's heightened self-confidence, rootedin India's impressive achievements in many fields. It also reflects theincreased expectations of our people at the beginning of the new century,that India no longer be categorized as a developing, much less, a poorcountry. Nearly 260 million people, who are below the poverty line, want tojoin the mainstream of development. Our people are impatient to achieve 100percent literacy, health for all, shelter for all, prosperity throughknowledge-driven productivity, and a better quality of life-all of theseenriched with our value system. Hence, it is time India launched a newvision, which I would call "Vision - 2020". I would like Parliament, whichis celebrating its Golden Jubilee, to discuss this subject. I also callupon the Union and State governments to evolve an action plan for makingthe Tenth Plan a People's Plan and Development a People's Movement. Toachieve this, they should concentrate on two mantras: EffectiveImplementation with People's Participation; and Effective Communication forPeople's Participation.

6. A key element of "Vision 2020" would be "Providing Urban amenities inRural Areas (PURA)". More than two-thirds of India's population lives inrural areas. We need to give a new thrust to their all-round developmentthrough a mega mission for their empowerment. This is best achieved throughprovision of four critical connectivities: Physical Connectivity byproviding good roads, transport services and quality power; ElectronicConnectivity by providing reliable communication networks; KnowledgeConnectivity by establishing more professional institutions and vocationaltraining centres, schools with high quality infrastructure, teachers whoare devoted to teaching, production centres for rural artisans, primaryhealth centres, recreation centres, etc; and Market Connectivity that willhelp realize the best value for the products and services of rural people,and constantly expand and enrich employment opportunities for them. Themodel envisaged is a holistic habitat that would improve the quality oflife in rural areas and also help in de-congestion of urban areas.

7. National security is a matter of highest priority for my Government.After the December 13 attack on our Parliament by Pakistan-basedterrorists, we were constrained to deploy our troops along theinternational border. This decision achieved its purpose by showing bothour firmness and our self-restraint in dealing with our hostile neighbour.In October last year, the Government, after careful deliberation, decidedto strategically redeploy the Armed Forces from their positions. This wasdone without compromising on their capacity to respond decisively to anyemergency, and without lowering their vigil in Jammu & Kashmir.

8. A comprehensive Nuclear Doctrine has now been put in place. This placesthe ultimate control of our strategic assets in the hands of the civilianpolitical executive. The country is truly proud of the scientists,engineers, and staff of DRDO for the successful test firing of the Agni-1missile. DRDO's other accomplishments include Pinaka, the indigenouslydeveloped Area Weapon System, and the supersonic missile BrahMos, jointlydeveloped with Russia, which has been successfully flight tested.

9. Continued incidents of cross-border terrorism in 2002 again underscoredthat the chief threat to our internal security is external. The killings ofinnocent men, women, and children; the choice of members of the families ofsecurity personnel as special targets; the attack on pilgrims-all thisshowed that there was a method in the madness of Pakistan-supportedterrorist violence. However, the method did not succeed. Our peoplemaintained calm even in the face of provocative attacks on the AkshardhamTemple in Gandhinagar and the Raghunath Temple in Jammu. However, we mustcontinue to be vigilant against an adversary which is unwilling to give upits anti-India stand. The assurances given by Pakistan on the issue ofcross-border terrorism have remained unfulfilled; the infrastructure ofterrorist groups remains intact in Pakistan; the funding of terroristgroups continues.

10. The Centre is fully committed to working closely with the newly electedGovernment in Jammu & Kashmir in its efforts to bring peace, normalcy, andeconomic development of the State. The Prime Minister has announcedprojects and schemes worth over Rs. 6,000 crore covering various aspects ofdevelopment and security with a thrust on generation of new employmentopportunities for the youth and relief for migrants affected by militancyand cross-border shelling.

11. The Government's concerted efforts to rebuild peace in the Northeastare bearing fruit. I send my special felicitations to the people ofNagaland, whose yearning for peace has imparted strong momentum to theCentre's efforts in this direction. I also heartily congratulate the Bodocommunity for the successful conclusion of the peace talks. Developmentwork in the Northeastern Region has gathered further momentum. A number ofinfrastructure projects have been set up through the Non-Lapsable CentralPool, through which more than Rs. 1,500 crore have so far been released.The people's long-standing demand for better facilities for air travel inthe Northeast has been addressed with the introduction of four 50-seateraircraft.

12. During the past three decades, about Rs. 550 crore were given to theStates to modernize their police forces. In contrast, the PoliceModernization Scheme launched two years ago has made a fund of Rs. 1,000crore a year for the next ten years. I urge those State Governments withpoor utilization of this fund to take urgent corrective measures. It hasbeen decided to launch the Multipurpose National Identity Card Project on apilot basis in thirteen States from April.

13. The problem of illegal migration from Bangladesh has assumed seriousproportions and affects many States. There have been reports of Bangladeshterritory being used by insurgent groups operating in the Northeast. TheISI is also active in Bangladesh. This makes the issue of infiltration evenmore ominous. The Government is determined to take all necessary steps tocheck this problem.

14. The Assembly elections in Gujarat have strengthened democracy and endeda sad chapter in the State's history. We must resolve to ensure thatcommunal violence is never repeated in any part of our country. TheGovernment remains committed to secularism.

15. My Government has repeatedly made it clear that the Ayodhya dispute canbe resolved either through negotiations between the two communities orthrough a verdict of the judiciary, which has to be accepted by allconcerned. While the judiciary should expedite its work and give an earlyverdict, it is also necessary for political parties, religious leaders, andeminent social personalities to promote an atmosphere of mutualunderstanding, goodwill, and accommodation.

16. The Government has a coherent and well-integrated strategy for boostingeconomic growth. Despite the global slowdown, the past year has been afairly good year as India continues to be rated amongst the fast growingeconomies. In the first nine months of this financial year, India's exportsgrew by over 20 percent to reach US $ 38 billion (Rs. 181,300 crore).Despite a relative slowdown in the economy, the total revenues from exciseand customs rose by over 15 percent in the first nine months of the year.Inflation remained at a moderate level. Our forex reserves have crossed US$ 73 billion (Rs. 348,429 crore). Food stocks are comfortable, and pricesof essential commodities are stable, despite a severe drought in fourteenStates. The recent dip in the estimates of the GDP growth has been almostentirely due to the shortfall in agricultural production. This has onceagain highlighted the need to rescue our agriculture from its excessivedependence on the monsoon by increasing public investments in irrigationand in all other inputs that increase farm productivity.

17. A Task Force on Drought under the chairmanship of the Deputy PrimeMinister has been constituted. So far more than Rs. 1,000 crore have beenreleased to the States under the National Calamity Contingency Fund, inaddition to over Rs. 1,400 crore as the share of the Central Government tothe Calamity Relief Fund of the States. Nearly 50 lakh tonnes of foodgrainsworth nearly Rs. 5,000 crore have been allocated to the drought-affectedStates to generate relief employment through the Food for Work programmeunder the Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana.

18. The Nation has been searching for a lasting solution to the recurringproblem of droughts and floods, which have been taking a huge human andeconomic toll. Networking of our river systems to transfer water from thesurplus basins to the areas of deficit has engaged people's attention formany decades. The Government has set up a Task Force to prepare a practicalblueprint for this project, without compromising environmental safety andthe interest of displaced people. This initiative will bring significantbenefits in drinking water, irrigation, power generation, inlandnavigation, and tourism. I must emphasize that this mega project does notnegate the need for promoting small and micro programmes for waterconservation at local levels. The two are mutually complementary.

19. The National Water Resources Council has adopted a new National WaterPolicy emphasizing integrated water resources development and managementfor optimal and sustainable utilization of available surface and groundwater. The Centre has launched a Fast Track Programme for the completion ofthose major and medium irrigation schemes that can be completed in oneyear. Subsequent to the approval by the Narmada Control Authority, the damheight was raised, and this has mitigated the problem of drinking water andirrigation in arid areas of Saurashtra and North Gujarat.

20. The Swajaldhara programme, launched in December, has scaled up therural drinking water supply initiative to cover the entire country. It is acommunity-led, participatory programme to be implemented by the communityand the Gram Panchayats. The community contributes 10 percent upfronttowards capital investment; and 90 percent is matched by the Centre. I amhappy to inform you that the programme's message "Dus kadam aap chale,nabbe kadam hum chalenge" has evoked excellent response from all parts ofthe country. A new initiative called "Hariyali" has been launched topromote integrated development of watershed programmes through PanchayatiRaj Institutions. Considering the acute and growing water scarcity, inrural and urban India, it is high time we launched water conservation andefficient water use as a people's movement.

21. The flow of institutional credit for agriculture and allied activitieshas increased from about Rs. 45,000 crore to nearly Rs. 75,000 crore inthree years. The Kisan Credit Card Scheme has made rapid progress since itsinception three years ago. Over 2.7 crore cards were issued till September2002. All the eligible farmers will be covered under this scheme by March2004. The National Agricultural Insurance Scheme is picking up well.

22. The policy of procurement at the Minimum Support Price, while ensuringremunerative prices for wheat and rice farmers in surplus States, hasresulted in huge stocks of rice and wheat with the public agencies. As aresponse to this, the Government has been encouraging exports of foodgrains. The wide-ranging recommendations on long-term food management madeby the High Level Committee are being examined. There is an urgent need toreview the current policies, which have impeded crop diversification andled to unsustainable food subsidies, and to ensure crop neutral support toour farmers without excessive procurement.

23. Fertilizers are a critical component in our scheme of food security.The new pricing policy for urea to be implemented from April 2003 aims atgreater transparency, efficiency, and fiscal discipline. While theGovernment is committed to deregulate the marketing and distribution offertilizers, it would ensure that major fertilizers are available in thecountry both in adequate quantity and quality at affordable prices tofarmers in all the States.

24. The sugar industry has lately faced serious difficulties, constrainingthe capacity of sugar factories to make timely payment to sugarcanefarmers. Several steps have been initiated to protect the interests ofsugarcane growers, while ensuring viability of sugar mills. Sustainedefforts are being made to promote horticulture as a major area ofdiversification in agriculture. The cold storage scheme is working well andhas created an additional capacity of 28 lakh tonnes. A new scheme ofconstruction, renovation, and expansion of rural godowns called GrameenBhandaran Yojana has been launched. This scheme will help prevent distresssales by small and marginal farmers. A new National Policy on Cooperativeshas been announced. A National Seeds Policy has been finalized. Under thescheme of Agriclinics and Agribusiness Centres, launched last year,unemployed agriculture graduates provide extension services to the farmerson payment. Recognizing the need for value-addition in agricultural andhorticultural produce, the Government has given high priority to thedevelopment of food processing industries. A Group of Ministers has beenconstituted to propose a single modern integrated food law and relatedregulations, to replace the existing myriad laws, which have affected thegrowth of this sector.

25. Ensuring food security for the poor through a strengthened PublicDistribution System remains a major commitment of the Government. TheAntyodaya Anna Yojana, under which one crore poorest of the poor householdsare entitled to wheat at Rs. 2 a kilo and rice at Rs. 3 a kilo, is a proofof this commitment. The Centre hopes that State Governments would speedilyremove the remaining obstacles in the smooth functioning of the PDS.

26. The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana is the most ambitious ruralinfrastructure project since Independence. During the last two years, ithas sanctioned over Rs. 7,000 crore to the States, enabling construction ofabout 20,000 kilometres of roads. Efforts are being made to raiseadditional resources for this project and also devise innovative ways ofspeeding up its implementation. The Ministry of Rural Development organizedan All-India Panchayat Adhyakshas' Conference in April. The Sammelanunanimously passed a Resolution urging the Central Government to ensurespeedy and effective devolution of financial and administrative powers toPanchayati Raj Institutions through an amendment to the Constitution. Iwould like Honourable Members to discuss this important proposal from thegrassroots.

27. The National Highways Development Project is one of India's proudestsuccess stories since Independence. As against a total of 556 kilometres offour and six-lane highways constructed during the first 50 years ofIndependence, today we are constructing 5 kilometres of world-classhighways every day! The Government is spending Rs.