Palampur, December 22
The President of India, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, today played teacher to students of CSK Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, asking them to pick up skills of entrepreneurship on the campus so that they could become self-reliant.

Exhorting both the students and the faculty to help in bringing about a second green revolution, he said it was now time for including value-added services of food production, soil characterisation and water management.

“If the first green revolution focused on the seed-to-grain process, now it was time to ensure that the efforts are made proportionate to the dividends for the farmers. Otherwise, in my interactions with farmers of northern states like Haryana and Punjab, I have noticed that they were looking for greener pastures for their next generations,” he said.

Selling the students the dream to make India a developed country by 2020, he said competitiveness was the magic word. For instance, if Himachal Pradesh wanted to compete with apples from other countries, the farmers would have to develop innovative techniques to compete. And the universities should help by teaching competitiveness, he said.

Recalling his meetings with Mr C. Subramaniam, the President said he was the one who told him that we need another green revolution and food production should be raised to 400 million tonnes by the year 2020. “He cherished this dream even at the age of 91,” he said.

“There are 300 universities in the country and every year three million graduates enter the market besides seven million others who quit studies after Class X or Class XII. To generate employment for all these youth, we will have to impart entrepreneurship techniques in schools and colleges so that they are confident in starting an enterprise by taking risks,” he said.

Asking the students to think big, he recited a couplet in Tamil, which meant that like a water Lily grew in any kind of water, one could prosper under any circumstances in case he had the will to make it big.

Answering a question by Ravinder Kumar, a university student, the President said he had two role models. “The first was my Class V teacher, Shiv Subramaniam Iyar, who took us to a sea shore to demonstrate how birds fly. He gave me the dream to have big aims at the tender age of 10,” he said. Asked by Vandana, another student, what changes had come in his lifestyle after he became the President, Dr Kalam said he had in fact taken the India 2020 roadmap to the President’s office and was now trying to sell it to the political leaders.

Earlier, the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, highlighted the shift made by Himachal from primary to secondary and tertiary sectors. He also pointed out that the per capita income of the state had immensely improved.

The Himachal Governor, Mr V.S. Kokje, the Agriculture Minister, Mr Raj Krishan Gaur and the Vice-Chancellor, Dr Jagmohan Singh, of the university were also present.

Later, the President interacted with nearly 300 students of 24 local schools at a function organised at the Institute of Himalyan Bio-Resource Technology (IHBT). He asked them to write to him about their queries on his website, www.presidentofindia.nic.in.

PTI adds: President Kalam today justified India’s nuclear programme, saying “only strength respects strength.”

Interacting with students hailing from 24 schools of Palampur and adjoining areas, the President said India always stood for use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and favoured nuclear disarmament. “Only strength respects strength,” he added.

Describing India as a young and powerful nation, Dr Kalam said 540 million out of the one billion population were young which was a great strength.