Kalam calls for 9-11% growth

Despite India facing many trials and tribulations, some due to the fury of nature, some due to wars and many due to proxy wars and cross-border terrorism, President APJ Abdul Kalam said at the International Parliamentary conference organised in New Delhi to mark the golden jubilee of Parliament, "We have accomplished a significant national development."

In spite of these happenings, India has been able to achieve self sufficiency in meeting the food requirement of more than a billion people through the green revolution and to considerably increase the average life span through better primary healthcare centres in rural area, he said.

"Our industiral base has been broadened. Science and technology have been given a new thrust with considerable success in the fields of information and communication, space, atomic energy and defence research," he said, adding, "Today, India is emerging as a knowledge-based society."

While there were many accomplishments, India was equally concerned about bringing global peace and development of the whole humankind--the present six billion, which will rise to about eight billion by 2020, he said, adding that the major challenges facing humanity were removal of poverty, ensuring energy and drinking water availability, personal safety and healthcare and environmental protection.

Stating that the mission for Parliamentarians should be the evolution of a vision for their nation, the president said, "Every Parliament has to give a prosperous, peaceful and secure future for its people. Unfortunately, some nations are being bombarded with poverty and terrorism."

Earlier on Tuesday, he said the country should aim for 9-11 per cent GDP growth besides near self-reliance in defence needs. Five mega projects could help India achieve this target.

The target for food and agricultural production should be 360 million tons, reliable electricity should be available everywhere, education and healthcare services would have to be improved, and core competence in areas like information technology, nuclear technology and space technology would have to be developed.

More emphasis on information technology and related services was needed, he added. He was delivering the inaugural address at the 75th annual general meeting of Indian Chamber of Commerce.

Kalam said the significance of the IT services could be traced in the fact that it contributed over 55 per cent to the national gross domestic product.

The manufacturing sector, in spite of concessions and subsidies for years, contributed around 15 to 20 per cent while agriculture accounted for less than 20 per cent of GDP.

According to him, the country has many small IT companies and many could become multinationals.

Development in five areas - agriculture and food-processing, education, healthcare, information technology and infrastructure - would be required to double GDP from the existing 4.5 per cent.

Commenting on the Indian Chamber of Commerce, he said the chamber was set up by Ghanshyam Das Birla, one of the founding father of industry in free India, in 1926 to 'fight against the British.'

He narrated the meeting between J N Tata and Swami Vivekananda on board a ship going to Britain.