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ShareHyderabad: Former president APJ Abdul Kalam today said that India could realise 10% growth rate in GDP in next ten years with continued impetus on strengthening the economy.
Addressing senior officers of the Higher Defence Management Course at the College of Defence Management here, Kalam said the impact of economic liberalisation and growth measures initiated by the government has started being felt now.
"Though Indian economy is in the ascent phase, the economic growth is not fully reflected in the quality of life of a large number of people. However, there should be progressive reduction in the people below poverty line year after year and reach near-zero by 2020," Kalam said, speaking on Vision-2020.
The mission of transforming India into a developed nation could be achieved by concentrating vigorously on five core sectors--Agriculture and food processing, education and health care, Information and Communication Technology, quality and reliable infrastructure including power and transport and self reliance in critical technologies, he said.
"These five areas are closely inter-related and, if progressed in a coordinated way, will lead to food, economic and national security," Kalam noted.
The former President also referred to his PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) mission and said with this approach the core competencies in the rural sector would be harnessed for sustainable development of the economy as a whole.
Kalam expressed happiness that his three dreams -- space research programme of ISRO, Agni programme of DRDO and PURA -- have taken shape as "vision, mission and realisation" and become the National Mission.
Commandant of College of Defence Management Rear admiral VS Batra welcomed the former President. In all 109 senior officers of the three wings of Defence Forces, including four from Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan, are attending the year-long Higher Defence Management Course which commenced in June this year.
