New Delhi, January 25
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam today made a passionate case for a second Green Revolution to increase agricultural productivity in view of growing demand and shrinkage in availability of cultivable land.
In his address to the nation on eve of Republic Day, the President said the country had nurtured its democratic traditions, made significant strides in force multiplication of defence system with electronic warfare capabilities as also in the use of nuclear power for peaceful purposes.
Dr Kalam, however, pointed
out that the country needed to raise its cereal production from 200 million tonnes to 300 million tonnes by 2020 when availability of arable land would stand reduced from 170 million hectares to 100 million hectares because of population pressure and environmental needs."All our agricultural scientists and technologists have to work for doubling the productivity of the available land with lesser area being available for cultivation. The type of technologies needed would be in the areas of biotechnology, proper training to the farmers, additional modern equipment for preservation and storage etc", the President said.
The second Green Revolution is indeed graduating from grain production to food processing and marketing as visualised by the late C. Subramaniam. While doing so, utmost care should be taken for various environmental and people related aspects leading to sustainable development, he pointed out.
Stressing the need for emergence of transparency in governance, the President said the government had to build a name for itself by fast decision making and transparent administration, while "media should become a partner and promoter critic in national development."
Stating that more than two-thirds of our billion population live in the rural parts of India, the President said, "The vision of transformation to a 'developed' India can only be realised if we launch a mega mission for empowering the rural people."
Giving a plan for the rural countryside, Dr Kalam stressed on the need of connectivity comprising four components. "Physical connectivity by providing roads in rural areas, electronic connectivity by providing reliable communication network and knowledge connectivity by establishing more professional institutions and vocational training centres", he said.
"Schools with best infrastructure and teachers who love teaching, primary health centres, silos for storage of products and markets for promoting cottage industries and business, employment opportunities for artisans are some of the elements of PURA. All this connectivity needs to be done in an integrated way so that economic connectivity will emerge leading to self actuating people and economy."
"Such model of establishing a circular connectivity among the rural village complexes will accelerate rural development process by empowerment", he said, adding that removal of poverty would call for Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA). The model envisaged was a habitat design that would improve the quality of life in rural places and make special suggestions to remove urban congestion also. Instead of village population coming to urban areas the reverse phenomenon had to take place, he said.
PURA had to be a business proposition economically viable and managed by entrepreneurs and local people and small scale industrialists, as it involved education, health, power generation, transport and management. The government's support should be in the form of empowering such management agencies, providing initial economic support and finding the right type of management structure and leaders to manage and maintain, the President said. Referring to recent elections in Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Kalam said the people of Jammu and Kashmir should be congratulated for showing immense courage in upholding democratic traditions despite cross-border terrorism.
He said the Election Commission, Central and state government machineries as also the media and political parties deserved appreciation for the success of this process despite "the passions of competitive politics." The President said the country's defence scientists had enabled the nation to force multiply the defence system with electronic warfare capabilities, radars, underwater sensors and weapons.
Dr Kalam said the country's nuclear scientists were currently constructing eight reactors, the highest number anywhere in the world this year.
