Prime minister Manmohan Singh sought to inject a much-needed dose of confidence to the country by promising a slew of measures to revive the sluggish economy.
Prime minister Manmohan Singh sought to inject a much-needed dose of confidence to the country by promising a slew of measures to revive the sluggish economy and fight the severe drought and the H1N1 pandemic. Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort, the PM said his government "would do everything to get the growth rate back to 9 per cent". He also assured the country that the nation had sufficient food grain stocks and nobody would be allowed to hungry. He also urged the people not to panic as the government was equipped to handle the challenge posed by the H1N1 virus
In addition to his reference to the three main issues currently engaging the country's mind occupying, a significant feature of the prime ministers speech delivered amidst a steady drizzle was that unlike his previous speeches, this time the emphasis was on domestic issues and policies. Unlike his last speech when he dwelt at length on the Indo US Nuclear deal and the country's relations with the US, on Saturday Manmohan Singh stayed clear of foreign policy issues. Perhaps chastened by the controversy resulting from the joint statement with Pakistan at Sharm Al Sheikh, the Prime Minister did not mention Pakistan and limited himself to reiterating the fact that India desired peaceful relations with its neighbors." We want peace with our neighbors. We want to create an environment that will benefit the entire South Asia," he said.
Save the prime ministers attempt to educate on the threat posed by dwindling water resources in the country by appealing to the country to begin saving water, his speech was more or less on predictable lines. The PM spoke of his government's commitment of getting the Women's Reservations Bill and the Communal Violence Bill passed in parliament. He spoke in general terms of the need to fight corruption and prevent pilferage in government schemes but did not go into the details. He dwelt on the dangers posed by terrorism and Naxal related violence but he did not tell the nation about the details of how he planned to tackle the treat faced by Naxal violence.
Manmohan Singh acknowledged that the economy was going through difficult times but insisted that it would bounce back by the end of 2009. He reminded the nation that despite the fact that the rest of the world was facing one of the worst slumps his government had ensured that the country was able to grow at 6 to 7 per cent. He promised adequate spending on development projects to boost growth not only from domestic sources but from overseas as well.
Cautioning the country against the problem created by drought, Manmohan Singh said that the country had sufficient stocks and nobody would be allowed to go hungry.
He said the government is working to bring a food security law that provides for supply of 25 kg of rice or wheat at Rs 3 a kg to families living below poverty line. He also warned off stern action against hoarders and black marketers.
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