Prescribing five national missions for rapid growth and prosperity, President A P J Abdul Kalam on Monday said integrated action is needed to meet the challenge of uplifting 220 million Indians living below the poverty line.
"The engines of growth will be the launching of five national missions - water, energy, education and skills, infrastructure and employment generation," Kalam said addressing the Madhya Pradesh Assembly while marking the start of its golden jubilee celebrations.
In order to transform India into a developed nation and meet the needs of over one billion people, integrated action must be taken in areas where it has core competencies, he said.
Sustainable prosperity can be achieved and we can get food, economic, energy and national security by addressing these areas, the President said.
Identifying five areas of core competencies -- agriculture and food processing, education and healthcare, infrastructure, including power and surface and air transport, information and communication technology and self-reliance in strategic sectors, Kalam sought integrated action to tap these.
Building on the core competencies would lead to higher incomes and employment opportunities and therefore growth rate higher than eight per cent now, he said.
Observing that developed states will make a developed India, he also recommended 11 missions, including horticulture, agriculture, education and healthcare for Madhya Pradesh for transforming it into a developed state by 2015.
On funds for launching various missions, Kalam said the Centre has Bharat Nirman programme with an outlay of Rs 174,000 crore for 2006-07, Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission covering 63 cities with an investment of Rs 17,000 crore, Employment Guarantee Scheme and increase of bank credit for agriculture to Rs 1,75,000 crore this year. What is needed is providing urban amenities in rural areas and the target is to have 7,000 PURAs in the country, he said adding certain amounts have also been allocated for the development of Madhya Pradesh and it has to ensure that funds are sought in time and are fully and effectively utilised.
Underlining the need for full utilisation of natural and human resources to meet the demands of modern society, the President said value addition to agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors would raise incomes and generate jobs.
The horticulture mission suggested for the state can generate jobs for over six million youths and an annual revenue of Rs 40,000 crore by 2016, while output of cereals and pulses should be increased from 15.5 million tonne to 25 million tonne in four years, Kalam said.
Similarly, soya bean revenue should be raised from Rs 4,500 crore to Rs 9,000 crore to double the income for five million families, he said adding per capital availability of milk has to be increased from 233 grams to 500 grams in five years.
On the mission on education, he said 100 per cent literacy should be achieved by 2012 and full employment provided to all 1.5 million youths passing out from schools and colleges every year.
