Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's reply in Rajya Sabha to the debate on Motion of Thanks to the President's Address

Text of the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's reply on 10th March,2005 in Rajya Sabha to the debate on motion of Thanks to the President's Address.

DR. MANMOHAN SINGH : Sir, all the Members, who have spoken in this debate, have made very valuable suggestions. It is not possible for me to touch upon all these suggestions. But I assure the hon. Members that I have taken note of their concerns, and in days and months to come, we will reflect on all those concerns in our Policy Planning fora.

The hon. Leader of the Opposition, my esteemed friend and colleague, Shri Jaswant Singhji, was complaining that we are a Government, which lacks unity, that I lack authority in respect of the Government which is being headed by me. I think, it is not for me to see my own faces. All that I would like to say is that this House and this country should judge me for the record of the last nine months. Our Government came into office at a time when, within few weeks, the country was faced with a very severe drought. I took personally the charge of the drought management, and on all accounts, we did a reasonably good job of drought management. A few months later, in December, we had to face the disaster of Tsunami. The way we handled this problem, the way we came to the help of our neighbours, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Indonesia, has earned us international praise. Therefore, to say that this Government is not working cohesively or that there is lack of purpose because of lack of unity, I think, the facts belie any such perception. Moreover, Sir, look at our records of last nine months. Despite the drought, we are going to end this year with a growth rate of close to 7 per cent. Industrial production in this year will be an all-time record. When we started, there was this legacy of the previous regime of tackling the high oil prices. Oil prices went up further in the course of the year. There were widespread fears that the country is heading for another bout of inflation. We handled that task effectively, and we are ending the year with inflation rate of less than 5 per cent per annum.

The position of balance of payments of our country is sound, is comfortable, as never before. Our exports have risen in the last 10 months by about 25 per cent in dollar terms. The international environment for India's development has never been as good as before. In fact, the world rejoices in the way we have managed to resolve our tensions of body politic. To deal with the issue of periodic redistribution of power, in line with the wishes of the people, through the effective management of democratic processes, India today stands tall in the comity of nations. I dare say, therefore, that any such perception that we are a Government divided among ourselves, lacking a sense of cohesion, lacking a sense of purpose, is totally not consistent with the facts. As I said before, the Common Minimum Programme is the basic guideline for our Government. The Common Minimum Programme is not a one year's programme. It is a programme to be implemented for five years, and I wish to assure the Members of the House that we take this obligation to implement the Common Minimum Programme in letter and spirit very seriously, and we will make every effort. We are, of course, a coalition Government. (contd. by 3y)

There are problems in managing a coalition. We are all learning. But the problems of this coalition have not stood in the way of our commitment to provide our country a cohesive and purposeful Government. I think our efforts of the last nine months speak for themselves.

As the President has mentioned, we have identified several priority sectors to get this country moving ahead, to honour our commitment to our electorate, to our people, as enshrined in the National Common Minimum Programme. In all these several sectors of the economy and society, we have made positive advance and we pledge to work hard to move forward in all these several areas in the next four or five years.

Our first priority, Sir, is education. Soon after we came to power, we imposed the education cess and, as a result, the situation today is the Budget of the Human Resource Department has risen to an all-time record of Rs.19,000 crores, an increase of 90 per cent in a single year, which has never happened.

Sir, cooked mid-day meal is today universally being made available to all our children in schools. This is another achievement of our Government. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is being expanded at a pace as never before. It is our commitment that all our children, who ought to be in school, shall indeed be in school. We do all the possible, particularly about the girl child, to see that all our girls are in school.

Our second priority is in the area of health. In this area, we will soon be coming forward with a National Rural Health Mission which will be launched very shortly. Proposals have been formulated to have a district-based health planning and management system which will reach out to the lowest levels of our people at the grassroots. Health allocations have risen by 30 per cent in this year's Budget. It has gone up to a record level of Rs.9,500 crores. The previous Government talked a great deal about expanding health care. Six All India Medical Institutes were announced. No money was allocated in any of their Budgets. If I may say so in the presence of my friend, Mr. Jaswant Singh, in respect of many of the promises that he had made in his interim Budget, there were no budgetary provisions. We will carry forward that process of implementing this bequest.

Our third priority is employment. We have promised in the National Common Minimum Programme that before we are able to implement the Employment Guarantee Scheme, we will, in the interim, implement a Food-for-Work Programme in some of the poorest districts of our country. We have done that. In 150 districts of our country, the Food-for-Work Programme is in operation. We have come forward with an Employment Guarantee Bill. It is before the Parliament and as soon as the Parliament enacts it into a law, we will move forward to implement this employment guarantee gradually over a period of five years to cover all our districts.

Sir, the fourth priority is agriculture. Agriculture has suffered. I have seen for myself the distress of our farmers in the last couple of years. That farmers are committing suicide is a national shame. Therefore, we have taken important steps to deal with the situation. In short term, to provide immediate relief, we managed the agriculture credit system, involving an increase of 30 per cent in rural credit for agriculture in one year.

This has been achieved as the Finance Minister pointed out. We are planning to double the flow of rural credit in the next three years. This is a solemn commitment. We will work with the State Governments to revitalise the cooperative banks which are today, in many cases, moribund institutions.

With regard to the development of agriculture, we have devised a National Horticulture Mission which I sincerely hope, if implemented, will be the harbinger of a new, second green revolution. India's agricultural research and extension system is today in disarray. We have a large number of personnel, but in terms of productivity and efficiency, and its reach out, particularly, in tackling the problem of dry land agriculture, things are not moving well. We have, therefore, undertaken a revitalisation of the national agricultural research system based on the Report of the Swaminathan Committee. Sir, when we came to office, sugar farmers were in great distress. The sugar arrears were running into thousands and thousands of crores. We have solemnly committed ourselves to deal with this arrear problem effectively, and I am glad to say that sugarcane growers' arrears now are at the lowest level in recent years.

Sir, irrigation is quite central to the development of our rural economy. We, therefore, are planning to come forward with a new Micro Irrigation Programme which will be started very shortly. The Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Scheme, which is in operation, is being expanded at a fast rate, and our long-term objective is to cover up to one crore hectares under irrigation in the course of next four years.

Our next priority is with regard to urban renewal. Here, we are planning to come forward with an Urban Renewal Mission for which a sum of Rs.4,000 crores has been given as an initial outlay. Ministries have seen a hike of 50 per cent, in one year, of Rs.10,000 crores in their allocation. We will deal with the problem of modernising the urban infrastructure in our major cities, Mumbai, Bangalore and other cities in a big way.

With regard to infrastructure, we are coming forward with a novel proposal to set up a Special Purpose Vehicle to catalyse public-private investment infrastructure, and this involves an initial borrowing of Rs.10,000 crores. Sir, my purpose of outlining all these initiatives is that these nine months for us have been an exercise in which we have identified the gaps in the performance of our economy, and we have also identified programmes of action, how to plug those loopholes in the management of our economy. The initial results are, certainly, very encouraging, but I will be the last man to say that we know all the answers or that everything is rosy in the Garden of Eden. I think we have to work hard, and what the hon. Members have said today with regard to improving the delivery system, with regard to the administrative system, all those are very important considerations. We have to make much more effective use of science and technology as Dr. Kasturirangan said, to make science and technology as an integral, effective input into all our development processes. I commit our Government to deal precisely with that. I am shortly going to set up a Knowledge Commission to look at the knowledge machine in its entirety, our schools, our universities, our national laboratories, our private sector r&d centres, in the hope that India must be fully prepared to match up to the best available knowledge base anywhere in the world.

Education once again is of top priority. When I look at what is happening in countries like South Korea, I find all secondary school age children are in schools. But we are nowhere there. Enrolment rates in our country in primary schools and elementary schools have gone up but the drop out rate is very high. The quality of our school system requires a sea change. In particular, in our school system the teaching of Science and Mathematics requires a fresh look. In several parts of our country, the teaching of Mathematics and Science is not getting the attention that ought to be given. In universities, I think, the number of students who ought to be going for Science subject is not as large as it ought to be, if India has to generate enough number of scientists and technologists. I sincerely hope that this Knowledge Commission will address all these issues and come forward with a blueprint for purposeful action to move forward.

I shall now deal with some of the issues which have been mentioned by the hon. Leader of the Opposition. He raised the issue with regard to the internal security situation. I will not be claiming that everything is all right on the internal security situation. We have challenges. Those challenges can be met through a purposeful cohesive action on the basis of a broad national consensus. We have challenges posed to us by cross-border terrorism, narcotics, drug-trafficking, etc. We have to strengthen our administrative mechanisms to deal with that. Our security apparatus, including the intelligence apparatus has to be strengthened. We are at it. With regard to the situation in the North East, hon. Jaswant Singhji said that the situation in Manipur has been allowed to deteriorate. I disagree with him entirely. When we came to office, Manipur was burning. I personally went to Manipur at a time when tensions were very high. We defused those tensions. Manipur is now peaceful. It is my hope that we can bring back normalcy so that all the attention of the people and the Government of Manipur can be devoted to the development. Wherever I went in Manipur, I had a dialogue with a large number of young people, men and women and they all came to me and said, "This insurgency is because of lack of employment opportunities." We will address that problem. This is a promise that I give to the people of the North East that our Government will work with the Governments of those States to generate more employment opportunities.

So far as Nagaland is concerned, what was the situation there? The previous Government in their wisdom chose to engage in discussions with the NSCN (IM) outside India. Our effort was that we must continue with these negotiations, but bring these negotiations to be conducted within our own country. We have succeeded in that. Negotiations are going on. I am not claiming that we have resolved all problems. But I think the process has been started. We are not negotiating with them in Bangkok or in Paris. We are negotiating with them in our Capital City of Delhi. This itself is a morale booster.

With regard to the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the fact that we had another big democratic experiment of local body elections and that so many people, men and women, participated in this democratic process, notwithstanding the fear of the bullet of the terrorists, is a vindication of the way the things are moving in this State of the Union.

Infiltration levels are down; the level of violence is down; development is getting, after a long time, the attention it deserves. We will restructure the planning process in Jammu and Kashmir, to create an environment in which development can take place at a faster pace so that the people of Jammu and Kashmir can also feel that they have equal chance of being Indian citizens, of living a life of dignity and self-respect. We have drawn up a big plan to take electricity to every village of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. With the Five Year Plan in progress, things are moving well, and I am confident that the effort that is now being made to review the infrastructure, to strengthen grassroots administration will pay with rich dividends. So, the overall picture of Jammu and Kashmir is a picture of progress, not of deterioration.

With regard to the Naxalite-affected areas, we will be the first one to minimise the problem. The facts that there are Maoist elements in Nepal, the fact that these elements have linkages with some of our extremist groups, that the whole tribal belt of India, from Bihar to Andhra Pradesh is vulnerable to these naxalite pressures are harsh realities which we cannot wish away. But we will deal with it with a sense of purpose. Where strong administration is necessary, we will provide strong administration. The hon. Home Minister has already held a meeting with all the Chief Ministers of the affected States. We are helping the States to strengthen their police machinery, their intelligence machinery, but we must also recognise that this is a many-sided problem. In many of these tribal communities, tribal areas, there are problems of forest management; there are problems of alienation of tribal rights. There are old inequities of sanctions. But they are no excuse for rebellion. But we have to understand that we are dealing with our own people. We have to come forward with a multi-faceted programme to deal with this Naxalite problem. We will not be soft on terrorism; we will not be soft on insurgency, but in dealing with our own people, we will not lose sight of the human side of the problem. That is the approach it deserves. Now, what was the effort of the previous Government? I have seen documents. When they started, they were saying that there were 130 districts which were Naxalite-affected; when they left, they said that the number had increased to 170. This is despite the fact that the great second Sardar Valabbhai Patel was presiding the whole Ministry!

Sir, I want to say something about the Foreign Policy because hon. Member, Jaswant Singhji raised this issue. And I seek your indulgence to read from the text because I am not that expert in this subject. Sir, many of our esteemed colleagues have touched upon aspects of UPA Government's Foreign Policy. References have been made to the situation in our neighbourhood, to our relations with major powers and to important issues of international security. I would like to reiterate that our focus on attaining India's just place in the Comity of Nations has been unveiled. I would also like to say that the foreign policy of our country has been based on the widest possible national consensus. We will persist in that direction. The centrality of our national interest and the principles, which emerge from our freedom struggle, remain the bedrock of our foreign policy.

Our approach to the external world is based on the conviction that as our domestic, economic and security environment improves, the fundamental strengths of our nation cannot lag behind. Attaining our due position in the world is no longer a matter of concern. This is a UPA Government's endeavour to give momentum to this process by forcefully articulating our position on issues of importance to India with our foreign interlocutor and at international fora. And, I venture to suggest to this House that the international environment for India's economic development has no more been as favourable as it is today. Mr. Deputy Chairman, Sir, as I have said elsewhere, the international environment has never been more conducive than it is today for India's emergence as a mature and respected nation, widely recognised as a factor of international stability. I sincerely believe that the world today has a better appreciation of India's position on vital issues of the day and of our capacity to play a more positive role. This greater appreciation of our position is broadly visible in the efforts of our Government to improve relations in our immediate neighbourhood. We have consistently promoted regional economic engagement, aimed at expanding multi-sectoral links with some of the nations of South Asia. We believe that greatly enhanced intra-regional trade, investment and people -to-people interaction is to the mutual advantage of all nations of the region. We will promote a sense of partnership and the vision of a common destiny in South Asia to realise our regions' vast, untapped economic potential. The rapid expansion of our traditionally close ties with Bhutan and Sri Lanka are a clear indication of the validity of this sector. Mr. Deputy Chairman, Sir, I am aware of the concerns arising from developments in some countries of our region. As some hon. Members of Parliament have pointed out, there should be no doubt in any one's mind that the UPA Government is alive to these concerns and is dealing with the issues constructively. It is a fundamental truth that just as growing prosperity and integration of a part of a virtuous circle, instablity and disorder also have transnational effects. We will not hesitate to take up issues of concern to our region regardless of whether these are related to political instability, security and even damage caused by natural disaster, such as, the recent tsunami. Just as we had no hesitation in assisting our maritime neighbours after the tragedy, regardless of our own losses, we have also not hesitated to take difficult decisions in dealing with other problems in our neighbourhood. In this context, I want to reaffirm that we will make every effort to remain engaged constructively with all our neighbours bilaterally and in the SAARC process. This is based on our conviction that good neighbourly ties are the key to mutual benefit. In the case of Pakistan, we are engaged in the exercise of expanding people-to-people linkages through confidence-building measures so that the unhappy chapter of this bilateral relation changes for the better. Our recent success in agreeing upon a procedure for the bus service from Srinagar to Muzaffarabad is a case in point. As I have said on many occasions and at various fora, we are willing to discuss all issues in this relationship, including Jammu & Kashmir. But the essential premise remains that our interlocutors will play their part in ensuring that cross-border terrorism ends, that the infrastructural support to such organizations is dismantled. We are, therefore, following the course of altruism but with due caution.

With regard to Nepal, Sir, we have followed a consistent position based on our traditionally close ties with that country. We have always believed that constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy are the twin pillars of stability. We are concerned that disturbing this balance does not serve a long-term interest of the Nepalese people. Our endeavour has, therefore, been to counsel all concerned to avoid the talk of confrontation. This too is based on the continuation of `no-arms policy'. Mr. Deputy Chairman, our Government can look back over the past nine months or more with a sense of satisfaction.

We have had positive and substantive exchanges of visit with leaders from our extended neighbourhood, including leaders from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, as well as my own visits abroad for the first-ever BIMSTEC Summit, for the U.N. General Assembly, for the India-ASEAN Summit and for our Summit with the European Union. There, in these summit level meetings, I have had the pleasure of interacting with the leaders of many of our important partners, especially, in the South-East Asia. I also had substantial interactions with the leaders of major powers, including President Putin of Russia, Prime Minister Blair of the United Kingdom and President Bush of the United States. We are waiting to receive Premier Wen Ziabao of China and Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan in the next few months.

Sir, as I have said, in the course of discussions with foreign leaders and at world fora, we have articulated our concern on several vital issues of international interest. We have consistently articulated our concern over the situation in the Middle-East to all our interlocutors in a constructive manner. While we remain concerned by the continuing violence in Iraq, we are supportive of the electoral process in that country. We have offered our experience and technical assistance in this process so that sovereignty is soon returned to the Iraqi people. We have also articulated our consistent position on the need for a durable solution to the problem between Israel and Palestine, balancing the twin objectives of creating a viable State for the Palestinian people and recognising Israel's right to exist.

Similarly, Sir, we are well aware of the fact that the international nuclear order is in a state of a flux, as Shri Jaswant Singhji pointed out. We have been closely monitoring the issue of nuclear proliferation in our neighbourhood and elsewhere. Despite well-known and glaring examples of proliferation, the international community is still looking for reassurances that its interests have been fully addressed. India has, however, been faithful to our principal stand that we will not be the source of proliferation of sensitive technology. As we have consistently said, India remains fully committed to strengthening international efforts to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery. Our track record in this field is impeccable, and we are committed to strengthen our export control and related arrangements in pursuance of this subject.

Sir, in the final analysis, I cannot but reiterate the fact that where we stand in the world depends entirely on how we manage our affairs at home. It is with this perspective in mind that the National Common Minimum Programme places great emphasis on policies that re-ensure economic growth with social justice and equity. We are committed to maintaining high rates of economic growth that create new employment and entrepreneurial opportunity. Unless we strengthen our knowledge base, our social and economic infrastructure, our agrarian economy, we cannot sustain these high rates of growth. This, Sir, is the essence of the President's Address, and I am sure that the hon. Members will wholeheartedly endorse this sentiment. With these words, I once again thank the hon. President for his Address.