Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's Q&A session at the India Today Conclave

Q. Cash-for-votes during no confidence motion in 2008 and wikileaks confirming this. What are your views, has this affected the Government and the image of India.

PM. Well obviously, Arun the events that you have mentioned, they do affect us, they affect our image both at home and abroad. Without going into specific events, I would like to say all this emphasizes the need for strong purposeful electoral reforms in which funding of elections and political parties can be more transparent, more accountable than it is presently the case. As far as the events of last few days, the so called Wikileaks, I wouldn't like to comment, I think people who are affected by them, they have already commented on them casting serious doubts about the veracity of allegations made in these diplomatic dispatches. At the level of our Parliament, the Joint Parliamentary Committee has also looked into the aspect of the functioning of our system and that report is available on the website. But I do take the message that all these developments once again emphasize the need for visible, effective electoral reforms.

Q. The investigation was only on the sting operation. Whether further probe will be ordered in to this?

PM: Well, I wouldn't like to comment on what we are going to do right now or in days to come. These are matters which are being discussed in our Parliament and if I have anything to say, we would say it in Parliament first. But there should no doubt about our commitment to root out corruption, to clean our political system, of the malaise that is the concern of the public at large.

Q. You are the embodiment of probity and integrity in public life for millions of people. Given the multiple allegations of corruption, can you assure that to best of your knowledge during the no confidence motion, no money exchanged hands and the Congress party did not purchase votes?

PM: I have no knowledge of any such purchases and I am absolutely categorical. I have not authorized anyone to purchase any votes and I am not aware of any acts of purchasing votes. So, I am absolutely certain in asserting that I am not at all involved in any of these transactions (if any).

Q. Which role model should Indian youth follow? They do not have anybody to look forward.

PM: Well I think the Founding Fathers of our Constitution provide the best role models. Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and all those who presided over India's march towards freedom and then the construction and development, I think they are very important role models for all of us.

Q. I would like to know what role Government has to do. Issues - Corruption, poverty. Bound by the compulsions of coalition. Would you not like to abide by the Constitution and not by the coalition dharma.

PM: It goes without saying that all of us are bound to follow the Constitution of our country and therefore nothing that I have said is in consistent with following the dictates of our constitution. I have taken an oath to defend the constitution and the laws of our country and whatever I may have said about coalition dharma, I think, should not in any way convey the impression that I am not in favour of following strictly the dictates of our constitution.

Q. Administrative Reforms could go a long way in improving governance. Could you elaborate.

PM: Well as far as administrative reforms is concerned, our Government five years ago, appointed Administrative Reforms Commission. Several recommendations of that Commission are under implementation and whatever more needs to be done will be pursued with vigour and as far as the local level institutions are concerned, in my speech, I have already mentioned that empowering our people requires strengthening of the Panchayati Raj Institutions, giving them functions, giving them funds, giving them power, that is the only way in which we can make decentralization an effective and viable instrument of empowering our people.

Q. Plans to provide merit-based capital that can support young entrepreneurs.

PM: I think venture capital, well functioning stock markets, these are the instruments which are available outside the government system and I hope that more can be done to streamline the functioning of these institutions to achieve the objectives that you have mentioned.

Q. Black money - About corruption and black money - Any specific action that government can take to remove black money or parallel economy in the system.

PM: I think as far as black money in real estate is concerned, unfortunately, that is a reality and one way of this would be to lower the stamp duties. The stamp duties in our country are a big obstacle to cleaning the mess with regard to transactions in real estate, so that's one way in which we can work towards a system whereby black money be less of its merits in transactions relating to real estate.

Q. Malnutrition and obesity. Malnutrition would have adverse effect as much as 3% in GDP

PM: Well, I do agree with you that we need to do a lot more. But it would be wrong to say that nothing is being done. Our National Rural Health Mission primarily focuses on some of these issues, but I do agree with you that this is not something that can be done or achieved overnight. We need to increase public spending on health from less than 2% presently to about 5-6% in the next five or six years. That should be the goal which we should aim at as a nation.

Q. India will become superpower in 2020. Reservation - Gujjars and Jats- the quality of students that India can produce can get reduced because of reservation.

PM: Well I think we have to recognize that our SCs, STs and even some part of the minority population have suffered from persistent discrimination over the centuries and therefore we have an obligation to deal with these historic inequities and therefore we have to walk on both legs - affirmative action plus commitment to excellence. I think these things sometimes appear contradictory, but I think the challenge before our country is to find bestways to harmonise both the need for effective affirmative action in support of the aspirations of SCs, STs and minorities and at the same time to reward excellence to the maximum extent possible.