Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's opening statement at second National Press Conference at Vigyan Bhawan

"I am delighted to be here with you today. I have been meeting many of you from time to time and I have had the pleasure of interacting with our media in different parts of the country. However, it is over a year since I have been able to find the time to address a National Press Conference. This intervening period has been a truly remarkable period in terms of the level of activity of the Union Government. The UPA Government has been able to fulfill almost all the important promises we had made to the people through the National Common Minimum Programme. We had presented a Report to the People at the end of our first year in office, and second Report has also been prepared by my office and is being circulated to you.

The UPA had made six important commitments to the Nation through the NCMP:

First, that we will preserve, protect and promote social harmony and fight communalism in all its manifestations. We have done so. We will continue to do so. We have renewed the commitment of all our people to the values and principles of our Constitution. Of secularism, pluralism, a respect for the rule of law and a commitment to social justice. There is today a new sense of pride and security, of dignity and self-respect among all the Minorities. We erased the feeling of disaffection and revived the sentiment of belonging. To focus on the welfare of minorities we have created a new ministry of minority affairs.

Second, we promised to sustain a growth rate of 7% to 8%, and to generate employment. We have ensured a growth rate of over 7%, and we will improve upon this. This in itself will generate more employment. We passed the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and have adopted the slogan "Rozgar Badhao" - as the watchword for our Government. We have also managed to hold inflation in check in spite of difficult conditions and this is something you must all take credit for.

Third, we assured our farmers, farm labour and workers, especially those in the unorganized sector, a more secure future for their families. The many initiatives we have already taken, especially Bharat Nirman and the programmes for rural education, health and employment generation will ensure this. Our "New Deal for Rural India", including a massive increase in rural credit and the refinancing of cooperative credit societies, will also ensure this.

Fourth, We committed ourselves to the empowerment of women. To their political, educational, economic and legal empowerment. In each area we have taken major steps forward. We have enacted legislation to protect women against domestic violence and give them inheritance rights in property. We have strengthened programmes for the welfare of women and infants. We have increased spending on the education and health of the girl child and adolescent girls. While we remain committed to greater representation of women in all institutions of governance and in all walks of life, I regret that we have not been able to have the Women's Reservation Bill passed. However, we will make every effort to see that 33% reservation for our women in Parliament and state legislatures happens in the near future.

Fifth, we re-affirmed our commitment to the empowerment of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes and religious minorities, particularly in education and employment. I submit to you that we have done more on this than any other Government in recent memory. Funds for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan have been doubled in the last two years. Greater access to higher education is being provided to SCs, STs and OBCs. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas are being set up as residential schools for girls belonging to dalit and tribal families. The Rajiv Gandhi Scholarship Scheme has been begun exclusively for SCs and STs at the M Phil and PhD levels.

We have been able to give 30,000 jobs to SCs and STs in the Central Government, by filling up vacancies in reserved posts. We have introduced legislation to give land rights to tribal people in forest areas. This single provision will benefit crores of tribal families who can lead a life free from fear of dispossession. We will at the same time take steps to preserve our environment. After all, the best forests are those which are cared for by our tribal brothers and sisters. A new 15-point programme for minorities is being prepared. Our Government has given special attention to education among minorities, because education is the most important means of empowering people. A National Commission has been set up to see how we can give special attention to the welfare of the socially and economically backward sections among religious and linguistic minorities. And for the first time in decades, a committee is examining the socio-economic conditions of minorities. I believe that all this has contributed to a new sense of empowerment among the weaker sections of our society, and among the Minorities.

Finally, we gave our commitment to unleash the creative energies of our entrepreneurs, businessmen, scientists, engineers and all other professionals and productive forces of society. The world has woken up to the reality of India's take-off. There is unprecedented optimism today about our country's future among business leaders and professionals at home and abroad. We have taken many initiatives to revive our manufacturing sector. Industrial output is once again close to recording double-digit growth after many years. The last time this happened was in 1995-96 - when a Congress Government was in office!

Our Government has renewed the hopes of millions of Indians by remaining steadfastly focused on equitable development. We have been giving the highest priority to employment generation through increased investment, especially in agriculture and the infrastructure sector. Taken together, our five major initiatives will transform the face of India and the lives of ordinary people. These initiatives are:

� National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005.

� National Rural Health Mission

� Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission

� Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana

� Bharat Nirman

The Employment Guarantee Act, beginning with 200 of the more backward districts, will gradually be expanded to cover the entire country. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is a historic legislation. Few countries in the world have such a guarantee. It is our Party that has given this guarantee. It is Soniaji who championed this Bill through Parliament.

Our Government has been paying considerable attention to investment in the rural infrastructure. Under Bharat Nirman, every village will have a pucca road, drinking water, electricity and a telephone. This we will do by 2009. In addition, we will bring over 100 lakh hectares under irrigation and build 60 lakh houses. Under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana, we have committed ourselves to taking electricity to all villages across the country by 2009. The National Urban Renewal Mission is our attempt to have world class cities. Although most of our people still live in rural areas, the day is not far when almost 50% will be living in urban areas. We need to ensure that our cities and towns provide basic amenities to our people and have world class infrastructure. The success and popularity of the Delhi Metro has encouraged other cities to come forward with demands for better urban transport. We will make sure that massive investment comes into our cities in the next few years. This will generate employment, bring in new investment and improve the quality of life of our people living in cities.

The position in our infrastructure is very promising. The roads sector is humming with activity. We expect an investment of over Rs 170,000 crores in the National Highway programme in the next 7 years. Our airports are buzzing with flights. Airports too are getting modernised with the Hyderabad and Bangalore airports soon getting new airports. New ports are under development with more in the pipeline. The railways are not only performing admirably in their operations but have an ambitious freight corridor project. This ambitious Rs 25,000 crore project will be a boon for our freight traffic. We will soon be addressing problems in the power sector and we will find lasting solutions to problems in this area.

Our Government has also improved the national security environment at home. We have brought peace and security to the North-eastern region, to Jammu and Kashmir and to various troubled regions. We are talking to all sections of people outside the mainstream of political life with a view to bringing them around to a peaceful resolution of problems. We have done this without compromising our national interests. We will continue to fight all anti-national and disruptive forces. We will defeat terrorism. As I have said so often, the people of India have time and again shown that political power in our country flows only from the ballot box, and not from the barrel of a gun! I do recognize that naxalism is a problem in many parts of the country. While violence is to be condemned and will be faced boldly by our police forces, we will also address the root causes of this alienation - chronic poverty, illiteracy and landlessness.

Our Government has also taken important steps to make the world adopt a more friendly approach to us. We have been able to improve our relations with many of our neighbours, including our biggest neighbour, China. We are pursuing a composite dialogue with Pakistan with the understanding that in South Asia we have not just a shared past, but a shared future and a shared destiny. The development and well-being of all our neighbours is in our interests.

We have taken major initiatives to integrate our economy with that of East Asia, South-East Asia, South Asia and West Asia. The countries to our East have once again embraced us and invited us into a new Asian Community. I would regard this as an important and successful outcome of the "Look East Policy" first launched by the Congress Government in 1992. The recent landmark visit of His Majesty King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia, the first time in fifty years, witnessed history being made. The Delhi Declaration jointly signed by His Majesty and myself opens a new chapter in our civilisational relationship.

We have also improved our relations with all major powers, especially the United States, European Union, Russia and Japan, with whom we have entered into new strategic partnerships. In the next few weeks I will be receiving the Presidents of France and the United States and I am looking forward to these visits. I believe India will benefit greatly from the many new initiatives our Government has taken in the field of foreign policy and national security.

Finally, I must draw attention to the fact that the economy is on the move. All our macro-economic indicators are robust and point to another year of over 7.0% growth. Our Government is committed to an inclusive growth process and to the reform of governance in all its dimensions. We are committed to unleashing the creative energy of our people and to making India an active participant in the global economy.

Thank you".