The government today unveiled a blueprint for guaranteeing internal and external security and economic and livelihood security as it expressed confidence that it will steer the country back to the high growth trajectory of eight to nine per cent.

With the government’s image taking a knock on account of a number of scams, President Pratibha Patil listed a number of measures and said together these have the potential of bringing about a transformational change in curbing corruption and enhancing transparency and accountability in governance.

In what could be her last address to Parliament’s joint sitting, the President came out with the government’s plan of action for the coming fiscal.

Elaborating on the five “important challenges” the government faces today, Patil said the government will work to guarantee internal and external security within the framework of a “just, plural, secular and inclusive” democracy.

It will also strive for livelihood security for the vast majority of the population and continue to work for removal of poverty, hunger and illiteracy, she said.

As regards the current fiscal (2011-12), she said the growth will slow down to 7 per cent from 8.4 per cent last fiscal but “this remains a healthy growth given current global trends”.

The long term fundamentals of the Indian economy remain robust, she said, adding, “India’s growth prospects arise from factors such as high domestic savings and investment rates, favourable demographics, and a stable democratic polity.”

Referring to inflation which has remained a major challenge for the government, Patil said the actions taken by the Reserve Bank and the government have yielded results and “general inflation inflation has … eased.”

Recounting the steps taken to contain price rise, she said, “The Government has taken several measures to ease the supply constraints, like reduction in import duties and a calibrated ban on exports. In order to ease the pressure of high international prices on fuels, custom duty on crude oil and import duty on petrol and diesel has been reduced.”

The economy grew at an average rate of more than 9 per cent between 2005-06 and 2007-08. The growth rate fell to 6.7 per cent in 2008-09 on account of global financial crisis, but recovered the momentum to 8.4 per cent in 2009-10 and 2010-11.