My dear citizens of India, on the eve of the 60th Independence Day, I extend to you all at home and abroad my greetings and best wishes for your happiness and prosperity. Our nation will always cherish and be inspired by the contributions of our freedom fighters toward making India independent. On Aug. 9, I met many freedom fighters from all parts of the country and in their eyes I could still see the spirit of selfless sacrifice. There cannot be any other better living example for our youth to follow. On this occasion, we remember with gratitude the devoted and gallant services of our armed forces who are guarding our frontiers on the land, over the sea and in the air and our Paramilitary and police forces who are preserving our internal security and maintaining law and order.
I feel that the time is ripe now for both our Houses of Parliament to debate and adopt a resolution that India will get transformed into a safe and economically developed nation before the year 2020. This unique action of giving the nation a precise and focused vision will inspire everyone and in particular the youth. Therefore, the topic that I have selected for this address on the 60th Independence Day is “National Awakening.”
Recently, the country had torrential rains in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The flood conditions have caused loss of life and property and immobilized economic activities. Some parts of the country are experiencing drought conditions, when some other regions are flooded. This has become a periodic phenomenon, lacking any predictability. Once again, this clearly brings out, the need for the interlinking of our rivers for effective utilization of surplus water in a balanced manner among all geographic regions with enlightened cooperation between the states and the center.
Let me now relate my suggestions for such cooperative national missions required in many areas leading to a developed India 2020. During my visits to all States and Union Territories, I have witnessed the actual development process and there are several islands of success, a few of which I would like to share with you.
While the essential necessity of networking of rivers has been brought out as a part of drought and flood management, water harvesting is a very important need for every state while planning house construction. I have seen during my visit to Mizoram in the Northeast, that almost every house is being equipped with self-contained water harvesting systems, which provides adequate water supply through out the year. These success stories clearly indicate that it is feasible to enhance food-grain output from the existing 200 million tons per annum to nearly 360 million tons per annum before 2020.
Among many models of pre-primary school education with creative learning methodologies that emphasize learning by doing including cultivation of hygiene, nutritional and sanitary practices, I have come across the work of Dr. M.R. Raju and his team in Pedamiram, Andhra Pradesh. This has inspired students to love their learning experience and has enriched their lives in school.
At the primary and secondary school level, government and municipal schools in Karnataka have introduced the accelerated learning model using computer based animated courses. This was pioneered by the Azim Premji Foundation, which has brought down dropouts from schools substantially. NCERT has prepared the National Curriculum framework under Prof. Yashpal’s leadership and modified the CBSE syllabus for promoting creative education at all levels through the application of learning by doing concept. Teachers training programs based on the new syllabus of CBSE have been organized across 25 cities using EDUSAT through video-conferencing. 12,000 teachers have been trained so far through interaction with experts sitting in the NCERT Studio in New Delhi.
Recently, I witnessed the Ladakh Model of Sarva Shiksa Abhiyan, increasing the pass percentage at the 10th class level from five percent in 1998 to 50 percent in 2005 with the aim of promoting creative learning leading to higher percentage of passes in the Phase II program. The Akshaya program of the Kerala state government is imparting computer education to 600,000 adults and advanced computer training program for 60,000 youth within a two-year period leading to high value employment for the youth.
In higher education, a pioneering effort by the universities of Madras, Bombay and Calcutta with the help of the Ministry of Human Resource Development has resulted in the creation of a Virtual University system by offering 10 joint degree programs at undergraduate, postgraduate and Ph.D. levels. The higher education system throughput has to increase from the existing six percent to 30 percent by 2020.
I am very confident that such initiatives, when applied across the country in the total education system will enable us to realize near 100 percent literacy and employable skills among youth, leading to a Knowledge Society by the year 2020.
During the last three years in Karnataka, a unique corporate health care medical scheme is in operation, under the leadership of doctors of the Narayana Hridayalaya, in partnership with the Karnataka government. This is benefiting over two million members, like farmers, craftsmen, artisans and small vendors. Members of this scheme who pay a nominal subscription of 10 rupees per month receive full medical treatment for major ailments, entirely free of cost.
I have also come across a number of humanitarian missions giving free treatment to the poor, among them for example the Little Heart Foundation for children’s heart ailments, Care Kidney Foundation for kidney ailments in Hyderabad and the Paterson Cancer Centre in Madras for cancer treatment.
There are several other initiatives of this nature showing the indomitable spirit of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff. Our government hospital system with its extensive outreach can symbiotically collaborate with the emerging private healthcare initiatives. This indicates that it is definitely feasible to achieve the mission of providing effective, affordable and quality health care services to all the people of our country by the year 2020.
The Indian ICT Industry is growing at about 28 percent per annum. This is definitely a strong indicator that the ICT industry requires a national mission to realize $200 billion turnover by 2012. Job opportunities are expected to grow from one million to nearly nine million direct jobs and six million indirect jobs in the construction, retail and transportation industries by 2010.
The government of India is creating a Pan-African e-network for connecting 53 African countries. In a similar way, India has proposed to extend the services to Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Many state governments are in the process of implementing e-Governance services and creating a State Wide Area Network across their states.
The Bharat Nirman Program aimed at rural prosperity across the country is in position with an outlay of 174,000 crore rupees for the period of four years. I am happy to find that there is a growing recognition of enhancing rural prosperity through the Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) model.
I have inaugurated the Periyar PURA Complex pioneered by Periyar Maniammai College of Technology for Women, Vallam, Tanjore consisting of a cluster of 65 villages having a population of over 100,000. This model PURA complex has all three connectivities — physical, electronic and knowledge — leading to economic connectivity. This has resulted in large-scale employment generation and creation of a number of entrepreneurs with the active support of 1,150 self-help groups. Over 200 acres of wasteland has been developed into cultivable land with innovative water management schemes. This movement can be multiplied by thousands of entrepreneurs, educational administrators, small-scale industrialists and bankers with the support of government agencies providing total economic prosperity to rural India by 2020.
Let me now come to an important aspect of security that is drawing the attention of the entire country and the world. The constant threat of low intensity proxy war and terrorism has become a disturbing feature of national life. This constitutes the new face of war. Dear citizens, this matter is of great concern to all of us. Therefore, I propose to share my thoughts with you on how we can face this challenge and resolve to eradicate this threat.
At the state level, greater and more effective coordinated decision making ability is the most basic requirement. Accelerated development has to be integrated with peace missions. Such missions will have four major components namely: economic zone near international borders and Line of Control, social development in difficult areas, national level movement to eliminate terrorism and citizens’ security.
There is also a threat from extremists groups in some parts of the Northeastern region. On July 17, at the King Edward Memorial Hospital, I met some of the injured in the Bombay bomb blasts, which was the result of the most lethal element of low intensity war. The whole city of Bombay expressed its deep sorrow and determination to combat terrorism with unity of minds. We must do this with a great sense of urgency for “when evil minds combine, good minds have to work together and combat.”
I believe the time has come to synergize our multiple agencies for forecasting and dealing with terrorist activities. We need to evolve a National Campaign to Eradicate Terrorism (NCET) in our nation with a mission oriented integrated management structure and people’s participation.
The state may consider introduction of National ID Cards and implement the National e-governance GRID for all government to government, government to citizens, business to business and business to citizen transactions within two years time. It is essential to create special monitoring methodology for unusual and abnormal banking transactions.
The judiciary must consider the creation of a fast track judicial process for settling terrorism related cases. A very clear relationship exists between energy security and national security, for if there are inadequate energy supplies or if energy supply cannot be afforded then the economy of the country will be severely affected.
With cooperation of certain states, the country should aim to mine enough uranium. The vast thorium resources of the nation should be harnessed by our scientists and technologists. In a similar manner, we know that we are running out of oil and natural gas based on fossil fuels. Heavy dependence on imported oil and gas and especially its use in the transportation industry has already impacted the nation’s economy. The nation has to gear up for enhanced production of coal and clean coal technologies.
We depend on oil to the extent of 114 million tons every year, 75 percent of which is imported and used almost entirely in the transportation sector. Hence, we have to concentrate on bio-diesel and renewable energies. In harnessing solar energy we now need to set up infrastructure and capabilities for a nanotechnology revolution that has the potential to find solutions for new forms of solar cells, more efficient, less costly and abundantly available. Our goal by 2030 is to generate 50,000 MW of power from renewable energy sources.
At this stage, with so much of natural and manmade disasters facing planet Earth, let me share with you a thought from Stephen Hawking. He is considered as one of the world’s leading theoretical physicists who discovered the super string theory. He asked an open question in June 2006, “How can the human race survive the next hundred years?” When he received well over 20,000 mixed responses on e-mail, he admitted that he does not have an answer. You have heard me today on the eve of the 60th Independence Day. I am sure that you share my strong belief that with the strength of our youth and our civilizational heritage we can together find an answer.
The time has come therefore for the political, administrative, scientific and industrial communities to cooperate intensely with each other, take stock of the entire situation in all sectors of security comprehensively and emerge with a vision, integrated missions, policies, plans and programs for such comprehensive security for the nation to be safe, prosperous and happy.
Let us work together to evolve three initiatives. In continuation with my earlier discussions, I will be suggesting to the government and both Houses of Parliament to formulate a Citizens Security Bill (with a National Campaign for Eradication of Terrorism); formulate an Energy Independence Bill; and adopt a resolution that India will be transformed into a safe, prosperous, happy and socio- economically developed nation before the year 2020.
Now, I would like to administer a seven-point oath to the youth of the nation.
I realize, I have to set a goal in my life. To achieve the goal, I will acquire the knowledge, I will work hard and when the problem occurs, I have to defeat the problem and succeed. As a youth of my nation, I will work and work with courage to achieve success in all my tasks and enjoy the success of others.
I shall always keep myself, my home, my surroundings, neighborhood and environment clean and tidy. I realize righteousness in the heart leads to beauty in the character, beauty in the character brings harmony in the home, harmony in the home leads to order in the nation and order in the nation leads to peace in the world.
I will lead an honest life free from all corruption and will set an example for others to adopt a righteous way of life. I will light the lamp of knowledge in the nation and ensure that it remains lit forever.
I realize, whatever work I do if I do the best, I am contributing towards realizing the Mission of Developed India before 2020.
Dear citizens, let me once again greet you all on the eve of the 60th Independence Day. I take this opportunity to wish all nations and citizens of the world, peace and prosperity.
May God Bless you all.
Jai Hind
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
President
