New Delhi: President A P J Abdul Kalam said on Thursday that India is passing through exciting times as a nation of a billion people, and added that the time was ripe for it to rise to its potential. Addressing  the Joint Session of Parliament at the start of its three-month-long Budget Session, the President said : ''The feeling    is  palpable.'' Listing the various developm- ental programmes of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government, he said that it was not merely the statistics of economic growth or the enthusiasm that the outside world has shown for an Indian opportunity that makes "these times exciting". He said that it was heartening to note "the fact that as a nation we have collectively decided to sink the difference of the past; that we have restored to our polity a sense of healing; that we have restored to our society a sense of inclusiveness; and that we have given our economy a sense of purpose.''

     Kalam also said that the Indian economy was on the move and the people were on a march towards productivity and prosperity. Stating that the economy had shown a growth of five per cent during 1999-2003, and 7.5 per cent in 2004-2005, Kalam said that the growth in economy is likely to cross eight per cent in 2005- 2006. ''This is probably a precursor to better times to come,'' he said. He commended the fact that the rate of inflation had remained at modest levels in spite of a sharp increase in global energy prices. ''The Government's prudent and judicious management of the economy has greatly helped in this,'' Kalam said. The renewed optimism of people, whose creative energies were being unleashed, had also played its part. The optimism of the people was evident as the rate of savings was now over 29 per cent and the investment rate was nearly 31 per cent, he said. "Confidence in India, in our democracy and in our economy, has never been higher. We have been able to reverse a dangerous trend of intolerance that had begun to eat into the vitals of our nation and restore pluralism, tolerance and compassion," Kalam said.

    "My government has been able to create a new architecture of inclusive development built on the foundation of five pillars. These are the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, to provide income security to the poor and bridge the rural poverty gap; Bharat Nirman, a time-bound plan to create better rural infrastructure; the National Rural Health Mission, to address gaps in basic health; the Jawaharlal Nehru Mission for Urban Renewal, to ensure a dynamic, visionary, inclusive and caring process of urbanization; and, a strengthened Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan with a universal mid-day meal programme," he said. "My Government has given the highest priority to the welfare of our farmers and to the development of our rural economy and is committed to doing all that is possible to protect the livelihoods of small and marginal farmers," he said.
Feb 16, 2006