Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday reiterated the need to work harder to free the country from poverty and disease, and to ensure equitable economic growth, while committing an additional Rs 25,000 crore to the farm sector. He also emphasised that the ?best is yet to come?.
?India cannot become a nation with islands of high growth and vast areas untouched by development, where the benefits of growth accrue only to a few,? he said on Wednesday from the ramparts of Red Fort in his Independence Day address to the nation.
?We have moved forward in the many battles against poverty, ignorance and disease. But can we say we have won the war?? he asked during the 40-minute address.
The Prime Minister?s stress on equitable growth and higher spending on agriculture comes at a time when the government is concerned about the slowdown in the sector, which employs about 235 million people.
India?s $854-billion economy has grown at an average pace of 8.6% in the past four years, making it the world?s second-fastest growing major economy. The government is working on a number of steps to boost farm output to 4% from the present 1.8% to achieve the targeted 10% GDP growth.
The government will also help provide social security for senior citizens above 65 years, who are poor. It will widen access to education by setting up 6,000 new schools and help states start colleges in 370 districts, the Prime Minister said.
He also vowed renewed efforts to promote industrialisation and build ?first-rate infrastructure?, adding that the transition from an agrarian to an industrial economy was a difficult one. ?We are a young nation. Once unleashed, the energy of our youth will drive India onto a new growth path. However, we must not be overconfident. We have a long march ahead,? he said.
Singh, whose government has completed three years, said he had a sense of satisfaction of having done well on many fronts, but acknowledged that the government had been slow in others. ?We have had success on some fronts and setbacks on some others. But, there is no doubt that we have been steadfast in our resolve, firm in our convictions and resolute in our commitment to the welfare of the common man,? he said.