Following is the text of the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's address to the nation:
My Fellow Citizens,
I speak to you with a deep sense of humility, fully conscious of the sacred responsibility entrusted to me. You have assigned the task of governance of our country to the United Progressive Alliance and its supporting parties.
You have delivered your verdict and the verdict is clear. You have sought a change in the manner in which this country is run, a change in national priorities, and a change in the processes and focus of governance.
You have, through your mandate, made it clear that economic growth has to be accompanied by equity and social justice. You have expressed concern for the poor and disadvantaged sections of our society and for minorities and backward regions to be at the heart of all policies of the government.
As I share with you the priorities of our government, I am reminded of the Father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhiji had said that his mission in life was "to wipe every tear from every eye." Think of the poorest person you have ever seen, Gandhiji would say, "and ask if your next act will be of any use to him." That message of Bapu resonates in our ears as we settle down to the business of government.
The National Common Minimum Programme has been prepared by us keeping in mind the priorities brought into focus by your mandate. The address of the President of India to Parliament outlines a comprehensive agenda for the nation to
which our government is committed. The country would have benefited if Parliament had been allowed to discuss the President's address.
I was eagerly looking forward to contributions from all parties in this discussion. Unfortunately, this was not allowed to happen. It should be a matter of deep concern for all of us when established mechanisms for a constructive dialogue and critique, which are vital for a parliamentary democracy, are disrupted and not allowed to operate.
Parliament is a forum, which is sacred, and it must be our collective endeavour to ensure that we maximise its effectiveness. I request parties across the entire political spectrum to respect Parliament as an essential forum for public debate so that we can move forward on the task of nation-building which is a common goal for one and all.
We can justly take pride in the fact that since Independence we have been able, with our efforts, to build the foundations of a modern economy and record an acceleration in the rate of economic growth. There have been impressive gains in terms of the educational and health status of the nation. However, the benefits of this performance have not touched all our citizens in equal measure.
Growth is not an end in itself. It is a means to generate employment, banish poverty, hunger and homelessness and improve the standard of living of the mass of our people. It must also be environmentally sustainable. Equity and efficiency are complimentary, not contradictory, and we must move forward on both these while maintaining a high degree of fiscal and financial discipline, and a robust external economic profile.
To be able to devote our attention and energy to economic development that improves the lives of our people, we must ensure social and political stability, communal harmony and respect for the rule of law. We must put in place policies and programmes, which empower all our citizens to lead a life of dignity and self-respect. Our government is committed to the security and welfare of all minorities, the protection of the interests of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, of backward classes and all weaker sections.
Equally we are committed to the empowerment of women. We will ensure equal participation of all in the processes of
governance.
The essence of the National Common Minimum Programme is the recognition that policies that are aimed at promoting economic growth must also advance the cause of distributive justice and create new employment opportunities.
Economic reform is not only about freeing private enterprise from the shackles of bureaucratic control. It is also about making the government more effective, efficient and people friendly so that it can handle better the many tasks that only governments can perform.
However, I am convinced that the government, at every level, is today not adequately equipped and attuned to deal with this challenge and meet the aspirations of the people. To be able to do so, we require the reform of government and of public institutions. Much of the focus of economic reforms in the past decade has been on reducing the role of the government in controlling the private sector; controls that hampered entrepreneurial dynamism and often bred corruption. This was necessary. Yet, there are many areas, critical areas, that directly affect the quality of life of every citizen, where the government has a role, and is expected by every citizen to have a role.
These include the provision of social and physical infrastructure for development, the provision of elementary education and public health, providing drinking water and sanitation. They also include economic infrastructure, which in our country in large part must be provided by the government such as irrigation, power, roads and railways. Our people expect the government to be pro-active and sensitive to their needs. In each of these areas, at every level of governance, the reform of government is today an urgent task before us.
We will pursue economic reform and widen the space for individual initiative and enterprise, but even as we do so, we cannot forsake the obligation of running a government that works, and works for the people. The reform of administration and of public institutions to improve efficiency and the quality of delivery services will be our immediate priority.
There has been a neglect of the interests of the farmers in recent years and this is reflected in a significant slowing down in agricultural growth in the past five years. Farmers in many parts of the country have faced distress and there has been no helping hand. The National Common Minimum Programme of the United Progressive Alliance is committed to giving a "new deal" to rural India. Agriculture must receive the priority attention it deserves. Public and private investment in agriculture has to be greatly increased. A key concern in recent years has been the lack of access to credit. Our government is already addressing this issue directly by pursuing policies that improve the farmer's access to affordable credit. Agricultural research, training and extension also require much greater attention. I would like to see the emergence of new centers of excellence in agriculture, as we have in technology and management. There has to be a
sharper focus on expanding opportunities for gainful employment in agriculture and in off-farm rural activities. Food for work programme, efficiently implemented, can greatly assist in achieving this objective.
The Indian farmer has also suffered from too many controls and restrictions. There are still far too many internal barriers to trade that must go. We must also re-examine those aspects of our policies that prevent a creative interaction between farmers and agro-industries.
I would like to see the creation of a 'single market' across the country for both manufactured and agricultural produce with encouragement of agro-industry linkages. With the introduction of value-added taxation, this integration of the Indian market will be further enabled.
A striking feature of development in our country has been the rapid increase in urbanization. There are now more than 30 cities with a population of more than 1 million. The rapid and unplanned growth of these cities has contributed to
increased urban pollution, crime, the absence of the required infrastructure like access to drinking water, sanitation,
roads, footpaths for pedestrians and public spaces, parks and greenery is making life in urban India a living hell for many.
Most of the responsibility for this rests with states and municipal governments. It will be our effort to give special attention to policies that can encourage urban development and urban renewal. We will actively seek public-private partnership in building urban infrastructure in a planned manner.
Higher rates of economic growth, urbanisation and the modernisation of agriculture will continue to increase the demand for energy. This demand can only be met with new investment, increased efficiency and rational pricing. Even as we plan to make more efficient use of conventional sources of energy, we must invest in the development of non-conventional sources. We will evolve an Energy Policy package that will cover all sources of energy and will address all aspects like
energy security, access and availability, affordability and pricing, efficiency and environment.
Water has emerged as a critical and contentious issue across the country. Even access to safe drinking water remains a problem in many parts of our country. Water management policies have to be so formulated as to address the needs of
farmers and weaker sections, especially women, as well as those of city-dwellers.
We will have to find innovative, cost-effective and community-based solutions. Groundwater replenishment and management and rainwater harvesting require close cooperation between government, panchayati raj institutions and non-governmental organist ions. The government will reverse the neglect of public investment in irrigation, addressing the specific problems of each river basin, in an environment and people friendly manner.
We need new thinking in health policy. While the government will continue to help in the growth of private and community based health and medical care, there is a crying need for the reform of public health and public hospitals. We will make public hospitals more efficient and accessible, through public-private partnership aimed at offering affordable and humane health care. We need community based and public health-oriented solutions to tackle communicable diseases, epidemics, especially HIV/AIDS, and disability management and population stabilisation.
People are a nation's greatest resource. Our greatest asset will be an educated and capable work force. Our government will work along with state governments to step up public spending on education, to universalise access to elementary education and to improve the quality of our education. We shall make effective use of mid-day meals programme for school children to achieve this objective. I am particularly concerned about the access to schooling and
higher education of children belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, weaker sections and minorities.
The education of the girl child and female literacy will be priority areas for us. We will do our utmost to provide scholarships to help them acquire the training and skills that can make them self-reliant and proud citizens. Our children
need modern and relevant education aimed at making them concerned, capable and caring citizens of the Republic.
Our economy has been rapidly integrating with the global economy over the past decade, with a growing sense of self-confidence. However, domestic enterprise needs world class and cost-effective infrastructure. Better roads, better connectivity, modern airports and railways, efficient ports and affordable and reliable power are all the basic requirements for a competitive economy.
For centuries India has been a trading nation, actively engaged in the movement of goods and people across continents and high seas. We will pursue policies that enable our economy to be better integrated with the world economy without
hurting the interests of our people. We will create an environment conducive to the utilisation of the talent pool of the vast and diverse Indian Diaspora. We greatly value their participation in the development of our nation.
No objective in this development agenda can be met if we do not reform the instrument in our hand with which we have to work, namely the government and public institutions. Clearly, this will be my main concern and challenge in the days to come.