PM’s keynote speech at the India Today Conclave

The following is the text of the keynote speech of the Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the India Today Conclave here today, the theme of the Prime Minister’s speech was “India Tomorrow – Building An Indian Century”.

“Good morning to all of you. And thank you, Shri Aroon Purie, for inviting me to the India Today Conclave.

The context of this event has enhanced its importance. Conclave 2004 has coincided with Election 2004.

            India Today is talking about India Tomorrow. And the Tomorrow it dreams of, is the dream of “Building an Indian Century”.

Now, that’s a theme tailor made for those of us in this election battle, who have a lot to say about our achievements today and, equally, a lot to say about our vision for tomorrow.

We are ready for the debate. Indeed, the debate is already taking place all across the country – in homes and in streets, in teashops and on TV channels. One can say that the entire country has become a conclave, discussing the claims and counter-claims, arguments and counter-arguments of various contenders in the election.

As the world’s largest democracy, we can be proud that this electoral battle is taking place in a completely peaceful, tension-free atmosphere.  I have no doubt that, irrespective of who wins or loses in the elections and by what margin, our democracy will emerge victorious, stronger and more resilient than before.

Every Indian – whether living in India or abroad – has always believed that India is a great nation and has wondered why the world has not acknowledged this obvious truth. Perhaps we have tended to judge ourselves by our potential, whereas others judge us by our performance.

However, this gap between our potential and our performance is now getting bridged. India is changing, and changing very rapidly. The imprint of this change is becoming bolder and more attention-catching by the day.

The world acknowledges our prowess in IT and in other sectors of the knowledge-based economy. Our growing markets and our rapidly expanding economy compel global recognition. Indian businesses have learnt from globalization and the technology revolution the imperative of becoming globally competitive. Today “Made in India” or “Sourced from India” labels are becoming a matter of national pride.

Friends, it cannot be anybody’s claim that India’s achievements belong only to the recent past.  As an Indian, I am as proud as anyone else of India’s achievements under previous governments.  I have never looked at them with jaundiced eyes and never been sparing in giving credit where it was due.

However, few would deny that the progress we made in the past did not measure up either to India’s potential or to her manifest needs. As a result, enormous developmental challenges continue to confront our country. The greatest of these challenges is to banish poverty, which still grips nearly one-fourth of our population. We have a long way to go, and an immense lot to accomplish.

But we have decided to traverse this long journey in a short time. We have started to speed up everything that is essential for making India a stronger and more prosperous nation, one capable of meeting any emergency that the future may throw up. Towards this end, we have begun to --

·                   Speed up our GDP growth;

·                   Speed up the reform of our economy and our institutions;

·                   Speed up the expansion and modernization of our infrastructure; and

·                   Speed up the expansion and improvement of our social infrastructure.

Raising productivity and profitability in agriculture is central to our strategy of making rural India prosperous and vibrant. The Green Revolution helped India achieve self-sufficiency in food production. Now the country needs a Second Green Revolution to create efficiency and capture value at every stage in the food chain linking the farmer to the consumer.  We have initiated many efforts in this direction. Enlarging and intensifying them will be a priority for us in the coming years.

There is much talk these days about unemployment. I recognize that it is a major concern for the youth. However, I would like to stress two salient aspects of this problem. Firstly, unemployment is not a recent creation. Secondly, the nature of employment generation is changing with the changing nature of the economy.

Jobs in government and organized industry have shrunk not only in India but also all over the world. At the same time, new employment and self-employment opportunities have sprung up on a large scale in recent years. These are in housing, road construction and transportation, cottage industries, financial sector, tourism, services and enterprises in the informal sector, and IT.

Our strategy for the future will be three-pronged: promote productive employment in all sectors of the economy, especially in agriculture and rural enterprises; enhance employability of the employment-seeking people through suitable training and skill-development; and further strengthen social security schemes for those in the unorganized sector.

Distinguished participants, I now turn to India’s interaction with the international community in the years to come, by mentioning only a few key issues. We are seeing increasingly that as India adjusts to globalization, the globe is adjusting to a quiet “Indianization”. Indians and people of Indian origin have earned recognition abroad as political leaders and heads of multinationals, as film directors and sports captains, as editors and authors. The most prestigious universities of the world have Indians in top faculty positions.

There are some who do not like to describe all this as “India Shining”. They would at least have to admit that these facts testify to the vigour and vitality of India’s international profile today. Our economic growth and development have enhanced our international standing. Conversely, our network of international cooperation has also provided new opportunities for India’s growth and development.

As the world seeks to fashion a new global order from the debris of the Cold War, India will creatively pursue her foreign policy to widen the web of friendly relations with all countries in the world. Our aim will be to secure for India a meaningful role in world affairs.

India does not believe that unipolarity is a state of equilibrium in today’s world.  At the same time, we do not advocate a form of multipolarity, which creates tension between the poles.  We believe a stable equilibrium lies in a cooperative multipolar world which accommodates the legitimate aspirations and interests of all its component poles and of the international community as a whole.  This is the world which India is committed to working for.

In Asia, regional economic cooperation has already changed the contours of our international engagement. The ASEAN-India relationship is gaining strength and maturity. We have recently given economic cooperation within SAARC a new impetus.  Through BIMST-EC, we are trying to exploit the synergies of sub-regional cooperation in a way that will also promote the rapid economic development of our North-Eastern States. We have taken forward our relations with China, by strengthening the underpinning of a vibrant economic cooperation.

It is this language of cooperation, détente and dialogue, which we have consistently used in our neighbourhood policy. The agreement which we reached with Pakistan in January flowed from our consistent stand that it is only bilateral dialogue which can solve our problems; that this dialogue cannot be pursued or sustained if terrorism continues; and that all problems - including Jammu & Kashmir - should be addressed in this dialogue.

Throughout the recent difficult years, when we had to fashion responses appropriate to immediate challenges, we have consistently had this clarity of purpose. I have also frequently said that in this changing and fast moving world, we cannot afford to remain shackled by history.  We should be willing to look at innovative ideas for resolution of our bilateral differences.

Of course, it is public opinion in both countries which has to lead the politicians to pragmatic and acceptable solutions. That is why we have been advocating intensification of trade, economic cooperation, cultural exchanges and sporting links, so that public opinion in both countries can be mobilized in support of the peace dividend.

It is also our vision for our entire South Asian region that the economic stakes that we develop in each other will eventually wipe away misunderstanding and suspicions, and create a South Asian Economic Union, which will promote progress and prosperity in a strongly inter-connected subcontinent.

Friends, the two defining security-related pre-occupations of the 21^st Century are terrorism and proliferation.

We in India know that international terrorism, inspired by religious extremism, did not start with 9/11.  But it imprinted itself on the consciousness of the international community on that date.  It enabled the world to put in better perspective India’s own experiences.  We willingly joined the international coalition against terrorism, applauded the provisions of UN Security Council Resolutions 1373 and 1456, and called for a strict and universal application of all these provisions. 

This is a continuing struggle.  We have to resist the temptation of short-term political goals diverting us from the long-term objective.  India is convinced that ultimately the battle against international terrorism can only be effectively won by the widest possible coalition of democracies acting in concert.  It is an objective we will continue to pursue.

We hear a lot these days about the indiscriminate proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, feeding a black market of non-state actors. We have always maintained that existing non-proliferation regimes are all grossly unequal and would not serve the purpose of military de-nuclearization. They have restrained the responsible and rewarded the reckless.

Let me declare unequivocally that India supports the objective of genuine non-proliferation. We have pursued it from our own perspectives and for our own good.  India can contribute meaningfully, and even add value, to a multilateral cooperative framework for this.

In the last few years, India has taken important measures to orient its economy to the demands of globalization.  We have done so with deliberation and with sensitivity.  Even at the risk of attracting the impatience of some, we have tried to ensure that our economic liberalization does not retard the objective of equitable development.  We have warned the world of the dangers of headlong globalization seriously eroding political support for economic reform measures in developing countries. 

Together with other developing countries, we emphasized this at Cancun.  Decisions on agriculture affect the livelihood of billions of farmers in the developing world, which could not be sacrificed at the altar of globalization.  We will continue to work with the developing and the developed world for win-win solutions to these issues.  India is convinced that such solutions exist.

While talking about globalization, I should mention the strange controversies that have been generated on what is called Business Process Outsourcing. The very process of liberalization, on which we have been lectured for so many years, has created competitive skills, which are available for utilization by businesses everywhere.  Outsourcing is a natural consequence of this process. 

As economists around the world have been pointing out, outsourcing makes businesses more competitive, increases their exports and their profits, and places more investible surpluses in their hands, which can be deployed to create more jobs. The world has spent the last decade trying to make sensible economics prevail over the temptation for short-term political gains.  We should not now drive a reverse process.

Friends, today India stands at a unique point in her ascendant movement in history. I believe that there is a Law of Growth in the life of every nation. Understood and followed properly, it brings about national resurgence and takes the nation to strength, prosperity and greatness. The objective conditions, including the international situation, have never been more conducive for this law of growth to operate with full power in the case of India. Therefore, we must not let cynicism or negativism, despondency or disunity, clog our veins and weaken our muscles.

India faces a big challenge today. We will always remain a democracy, of course. That is an abiding source of India’s pride and strength. But the challenge is:

·                 Can our democracy create a common national purpose around the           issue           of development and deliver it on a scale that all of us dream of?

·                 Can we remove regional and social disparities and bridge the urban-rural           divide fast enough?

·                 Can we speedily enlarge the basket of opportunities to match the growing           aspirations of our predominantly youthful population?

In short, can we make India a Developed Nation in a holistic way by 2020?

Within the lifespan of a single generation?

Yes, we can. We must.

To work towards this goal has been the endeavour of my Government for the past five years. It is our resolve to accelerate this process over the next five years. And this is precisely why we are seeking a renewed mandate from the people of India, in the hope and confidence that we will get it.

Thank you.”

(Release ID :1305)

Tweet