New Delhi, December 20
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam today made a strong case for good and transparent governance through the Internet revolution based on “physical, electronic and knowledge connectivity”.

“The Internet revolution has proved to be a powerful tool of good governance,” he observed here at the Indian Empowerment Summit organised by The Indian Express.

“In a nation of a billion people, e-governance should enable seamless access to information across the state and central governments in the federal set-up,” he contended.

To weed out malcontent from politics, all information about candidates contesting elections could be made available in the public domain through a multi-purpose identity card, he said.

“You have to take a decision which could be a problem, but problems should not defeat us,” he said.

Asked by the Chief of Army Staff Gen J.J. Singh what suggestions did he have for the armed forces as its Supreme Commander, Mr Kalam categorised the men in uniform as the “best in the world”.

He suggested that ex-servicemen, who formed one of the “most disciplined force”, should be marketed to various ministries. The ministries could utilise their services in implementing various programmes.

Asked what would be his reaction if the name of a “tainted” person was put forward for inclusion in the Union Cabinet, he said, “I will say it is not good. Definitely, I will watch.”

Paying tributes to petrol mafia victim and Indian Oil Corporation engineer Manjunath Shanmugham, he assured the nation that honest citizens would be protected.

Manjunath’s mother, who was present at the function, said, “My son was honest, brave and sincere. He was brutally murdered by a petrol pump owner for standing up against corruption. He was only 27 and had so many dreams for the future.”

She wanted to know from the President what he proposed to do to ensure that no one else met the fate of her son.