I am happy to be here today for the inauguration of this first annual conference of Chief Secretaries of States. I greet and welcome each one of you. I hope that in the time to come this annual conference will become a forum for useful and productive exchange of views between the Centre and the States. I compliment the Cabinet Secretary for taking the initiative of proposing this conference.

We are meeting at the beginning of a new decade. Economic reforms over the last twenty years have enabled us to become one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Not only this, we also have the resilience to deal and meet the challenge of crises, as our response to the recent global downturn shows. We are now more capable than ever before in fighting persistent poverty, hunger and disease, and providing a better quality of life to our people. We also now live in a globalised environment where the Indian economy is increasingly getting integrated with the international economy, and Indian talent and enterprise is recognized the world over.

While there is unprecedented optimism in the country about our prospects for the future, there are also new challenges that we as administrators face. Governance today has become an extremely complex process. The rising expectations of the people make them impatient with the speed at which we can deliver results. People today resent apathy, sloth, and corruption in any form and at any level of government more than ever before. There is clamour for accountability from all quarters - the legislature, the judiciary and the media. Greater connectivity and greater integration of States in the national economy imply that what happens in one State has an impact on other States. There are problems which require a response which is coordinated not only between the affected States but also between the Centre and the States.

All this requires that our response to problems and crises has to be much more creative and imaginative than ever before. It also requires that everyone in the administrative system is well informed, well trained and well equipped to tackle the tasks before him or her; to think not only of what we face today but what is likely to be encountered in the years ahead. It is only when the administrative apparatus is innovative, flexible and quick that it can match the demanding test of our times.

It is in this background that this Conference is so important. You hold a pivotal position in the State administration. It is incumbent upon you to ensure that the administrative apparatus is geared to match the challenges it faces. I expect that the deliberations in this conference will give you a better appreciation of the background in which the Central government takes policy decisions. I also expect that they will help you to find ways of responding in a coordinated manner in tackling problems which involve more than one State. This, in turn, will enable you to offer a more nuanced and considered advice to your own government.

As you are all well aware, inclusive growth is the centre-piece of our development process. Fast economic growth has little meaning if it does not lead to the well being of the poor and the disadvantaged, of our farmers, workers, our children, students and women. The benefits of the development process have to percolate to every part of our country and to every section of our society if we want to progress in the true sense of the term and be a strong and cohesive nation. The Central Government has attached the highest importance to our growth being inclusive in nature. But India lives in States. Unless the States move ahead and move forward at a pace that is adequate to the challenges that we face, I think we cannot claim that we have delivered inclusive growth. The inclusive growth that we talk about is reflected in the launching of schemes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Programme, the National Rural Health Mission, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, the New 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities and Bharat Nirman programme designed to upgrade the quality of rural social and physical infrastructure. All these programmes require the active participation and commitment of the State Governments. It falls upon you to ensure that these programmes are implemented in the spirit in which they have been conceived, that road blocks on the way are cleared rapidly and with commitment, that leakages are plugged and the people get what is intended for them in the quickest and the most efficient manner. There is a need for strengthening the Panchayati Raj Institutions as a means for an effective decentralized planning system for inclusive growth. All this constitutes a huge task that requires dedication, commitment and persistence. I would like to add here that the Central government does recognize that there is always room for improvement in these schemes and programmes. Planning from below is as important as thinking integrally of the needs of the nation as a whole. We would welcome any suggestions that you may have regarding the design and implementation of the programmes that have been launched by the Central Government.

It is one of the primary responsibilities of any government to ensure the rule of law. In addition, an atmosphere of peace and communal harmony is also a pre-requisite for rapid economic growth. The law and order machinery has to be sensitized to the key security concerns that affect us. Terrorism, insurgency and extremism need to be tackled with a firm but effective and sensitive hand. You have to be aware not only of local and regional happenings but also of pan-India and trans-border developments. It is my hope that this conference will help you in getting a better perspective on some of these issues.

Our experience in the past two years has brought to the fore the importance of food security and the need for containing prices. For some time past, there was, if I may say so, a false sense of security that availability of food has ceased to be a concern. Similarly, many felt that we have been able to control prices. But we have learnt that our growing population and higher levels of living necessitate augmentation of our food supplies. In this context, I would urge the State governments to focus their energy on the area of increasing agricultural productivity. Our agricultural productivity still ranks far below the best in the world. There is great scope for improvement in the productivity of our major crops and I hope to see greater efforts in achieving this. I would also suggest that the States must undertake to place some of their best and committed officers as agricultural production commissioners given the importance of agriculture in our economy. I notice that in recent years, this job has lost its attractiveness and not the best persons are being appointed to man the position of agricultural production commissioners in the States. We must also recognise that in a globalized world, it will never be possible to insulate ourselves from the pulls and pressures of international demand and supply. The State governments must forge appropriate strategies to bolster food production and tackle shortages of essential supplies. The importance of making the public distribution system strong and efficient for making essential commodities available to the poor and to the common man at reasonable prices cannot be over emphasized. There are many instruments at your command and it is expected that you should not be found wanting in their judicious use. On behalf of the Central government I would take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to assist States in everyway we can in all these and other areas.

Poor infrastructure continues to be a road block in the path of our rapid progress. Shortages of electricity, poor roads, over-crowded ports, delayed flights, all retard our economic efficiency and damage our international image. States which have relatively better infrastructure attract investment while the others lag behind. This is a lesson which all States have to imbibe. Those who have lagged behind have to go that extra mile in developing their infrastructure rapidly. I would also in this context refer to the need of putting in place requisite administrative structures to deal with the crisis arising out of what has come to be known as disaster management. We have to prevent disasters but we have to recognize that they have a mode of taking place which we cannot prevent and therefore we must equip ourselves to meet the challenge of effective disaster management in a credible manner.

Climate change was referred to by Shri Prithviraj Chavan and it poses a threat not only to us but to our future generations as well. We attach immense importance to meeting this challenge. We have launched a National Action Plan on Climate Change. This Action Plan encompasses eight National Missions. The goals that we have set for ourselves are indeed ambitious. Much of the action in respect of the National Missions has to be taken by the States. There will be need for local adaptation, for assessing what will work and above all, for involving the local communities in processes of implementation. It rests upon you to provide the necessary leadership and impetus to the implementation of these very important eight missions.

There are other issues that are included in the agenda of the Conference which I have not touched upon but which are no less important. I hope they will get the attention they deserve.

I expect this conference to afford all of you an opportunity for a free and frank exchange of views and for a better understanding of one another's problems. I hope it will be a rewarding experience for all those present here. The development of a country is largely a function of how committed people who man the top administrative echelons of the country are to the challenges of faster and equitable development and therefore you shoulder very heavy responsibilities in getting our country moving forward at a pace which we need to banish poverty, ignorance and disease from this ancient land of ours. With these words, I wish you all the very best in your deliberations and in your endeavours.