The Prime Minister at Hyderabad

Interacting with the bomb blast victims

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh interacting with the bomb blast victims, at Omni Hospital, in Hyderabad on February 24, 2013. (PIB photo)           24-February-2013

Dr. Manmohan Singh and Kumari Mamata Banerjee

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh with the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Kumari Mamata Banerjee, during the inauguration of the 100th Session of Indian Science Congress, in Kolkata on January 03, 2013. (PIB)
                                                                                               03-January-2013

PM's address for NCTC Meeting

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh addressed the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) meeting in Delhi 
Following is the text of Prime Minister’s address:

“I welcome you to this very important meeting on the very important issue of operationalising the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC).


As all of you know, we had initially intended to discuss this issue in the Chief Ministers' Conference on Internal Security held on 16th April, 2012. But in view of the importance of the matter and concerns raised by some Chief Ministers, we have decided to have a meeting exclusively on this important subject. It’s my sincere hope that as a result of your deliberations today, we will make further progress in improving our counter-terrorism architecture and our operational and institutional capabilities to deal with this menace. I also hope that today's discussions will take place in a spirit of harmony and cooperation, which are essential in tackling the challenge of terrorism.


I would like to reiterate what I have said before. It is not our Government's intention in any way to affect the distribution of powers between the States and the Union that our Constitution provides. The establishment of the NCTC is not a State versus Centre issue. The primary purpose behind setting up the NCTC is to coordinate counter-terrorism efforts throughout this vast country, as the Intelligence Bureau has been doing so far. The NCTC should be a vehicle of our combined efforts to reach the shared goal of curbing terrorism and eradicating militancy.


Terrorism is today one of the most potent threats to our national security. There can be no disagreement on putting in place an effective counter terrorism regime with efficient mechanisms and response systems both at the national level and at the State level. Neither the states nor the Centre can fulfill this task alone. The closest cooperation and coordination is therefore necessary to meet the threats that emanate from within and outside our borders.


I believe that it is the responsibility of the Centre to give form and shape to a cohesive national approach and strategy based on information gathered globally and from all the states of our Union. On their part, the states should use their expertise, knowledge and machinery to secure their own territories and work in coordination with the Centre and other States.

Since 26/11, we have diligently strengthened our counter terrorism capabilities both in the States and at the Centre. I believe that today the State and Central Police and intelligence agencies are working in harmony and in close coordination. These efforts have resulted in several noteworthy successes. The State Police forces have achieved some excellent results in the recent past. On the whole there is broad agreement on the strategy and measures that we must adopt to counter terrorism in all its multifarious dimensions in India, including cross-border terrorism, Left Wing Extremism, terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgency in the North-East and religion based terrorism. However, much remains to be done.


Our government remains committed to working with the State governments and providing them all possible help in combating terrorism. We have been providing financial assistance to the States and helping them train State police and intelligence agencies. We are also implementing schemes on border management and on coastal security, and the scheme for modernization of state police forces. Our government will continue and strengthen these efforts.


The antecedents of the NCTC lie in the recommendations by a Group of Ministers and by the Administrative Reforms Commission, commencing from the lessons learnt in Kargil. It is our belief that the NCTC, in its design and its operational aspects, will supplement the counter-terrorism capabilities of the States and not supplant them. The NCTC mechanism will give each state agency an ability to see the bigger picture of terrorist threats and thus would enhance their counter terrorism capability and access to resources to tackle them.


But for the NCTC to function smoothly and effectively, it is very important that we have a fairly broad consensus on its powers and its functions. We would like the State governments to be with us in this important initiative, which we believe would strengthen our counter-terrorism efforts. We remain open to the suggestions of Chief Ministers. We would like to benefit from their vast knowledge, wisdom and experience.


In preparation for our discussions, the Ministry of Home Affairs has circulated drafts for the Standard Operating Procedures for the Standing Council and for the exercise of operational powers under section 43 A of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Both drafts reflect the detailed provisions for Centre-State coordination in both the organizational set-up of NCTC and in its proposed powers and functions.
With these words, I wish you success in your deliberations and I look forward to an open discussion today. May today's deliberations enable us to continue working together to put in place even more effective counter-terrorism architecture in our country. (PIB) 05-May-2012 11:52 IST


*****

PM was being presented a model of Golden Temple

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh being presented a model of Golden Temple by the Chief Minister of Punjab, Shri Prakash Singh Badal, at the dedication ceremony of the Guru Gobind Singh Refinery to the Nation, in Bathinda, Punjab on April 28, 2012. The Governor of Punjab, Shri Shivraj Patil, the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Jaipal Reddy, the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Corporate Affairs, Shri R.P.N. Singh, the Minister of State for Planning, Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Ashwani Kumar and the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, Shri Sukhbir Singh Badal are also seen. (PIB photo) 28-April-2012  

PM Dedicates Bhatinda Refinery to Nation

PM'S Speach

IDPD welcomes the statement by Dr. Manmohan Singh

Asking for a nuclear free world
Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) welcomes the statement Dr.Manmohan Singh Prime Minister of India asking for a nuclear free world. India has always been a champion for nuclear disarmament. Keeping the tradition of non aligned movement our country should take lead in various international forums for abolition of nuclear weapons as well as check on proliferation of small arms through confidence building measures between the nations. 
According to a statement issued by it's President Dr L S Chawla General Secretary Dr Arun Mitra even if a single country has the nuclear weapons, the chances of their development by other countries will always remain as the nuclear weapons possessing states looses the moral right to ask other countries desist the same. The fear of these weapons falling into the hands of non state actors will always remain. The stand of IDPD and International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) in this regard has been vindicated by the Seoul meet. IDPD also appeal to the Prime Minister to pay heed to the people movements and put moratorium on the nuclear plants for power generation as the nuclear energy is neither safe nor economical. Moreover the nuclear plants cloud any time is used for production of nuclear weapons.   

Reacting to PM’s nod on public health services

This is still far below the WHO recommendations: IDPD

                                            Dr. Arun Mitra, Dr. L. S. Chawla and others at a press conference in Ludhiana (File photo)

While welcoming the Prime Minister’s nod to allocate 2.5% of the GDP on public health services, the Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) has said that this is still far below the WHO recommendations for spending 6% of the GDP on public health services. Dr L S Chawla– President IDPD and Dr Arun Mitra–General Secretary IDPD said in a joint statement that several countries in the world including Sri Lanka are spending this much amount on their health services and it has shown results in their health indicators. In fact the earlier GDP spending in India was only 0.9%. After the NRHM in the last plan it was said that 2-3% would be allocated for public health but in fact only 1.4% was spent that also in a phased manner from 2005 to 2011. Every year 2% of our population goes below poverty line because of out of pocket expenditure on health. Large number of our population has to take loan or shelve their other necessary expenses for healthcare spending even government surveys accepted. A clear cut policy in this regards is needed. The GDP spending should start from 2.5% and increase up to 6%  by the end of the 12th plan.

Prime Minister’s Speech at Polio Summit

We have completed one year without any single new case

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh addressing at the inauguration of the Polio Summit 2012, in New Delhi on February 25, 2012. [PIB photo] 25-February-2012

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh addressed the Polio Summit in Delhi today. Following is the text of Prime Minister’s address on the occasion:- 

“I would like to extend a very warm welcome to each one of our participants who have gathered here today from within India and from all over the world to join us for this unique event the Polio Summit. The Government of India has coordinated a massive effort to rid our country of the terrible scourge of Polio that has scarred the lives of thousands of thousand of children in India and elsewhere in the world. So it is a matter of satisfaction that we have completed one year without any single new case of polio being reported from anywhere in the country. This gives us hope that we can finally eradicate polio not only from India but from the face of the entire mother earth. 

The success of our efforts shows that teamwork pays. The Central Government and the States Governments have worked in close partnership with many community base, national level and international organizations and groups including the Rotary International, the World Health Organization and UNICEF. But I venture to say that the real credit goes to the 23 lakh volunteers who repeatedly vaccinated children even in the most remote areas, often in very bad weather conditions. I commend each one of them for their dedication, for their commitment and for their selfless service. 

Our ultimate objective is and as it must be to achieve full immunization for all our children. We must ensure that every Indian child, rich or poor, whether living in Ladakh or in Delhi has equal access to the best immunization. To this ambitious task I commit our government. 

Universal access to safe vaccines, however, is only one of the many strategies for preventing and control of diseases and promoting good health among our children. We also need to provide them nutritious food, safe drinking water, proper sanitation and education. Nutrition especially for women and children is essential for community health. Sanitation and safe drinking water are pre-requisites for better absorption of food and prevention of infant and child mortality. But above all, we need to educate our children and our mothers on the importance of hygiene and nutrition to overall good health and longevity. 

We are taking urgent measures to address these challenges. The National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges is spearheading our efforts to address the challenge of malnutrition. The Total Sanitation Campaign aims to eradicate the practice of open defecation by 2017. We are moving towards the creation of Public Health Cadres to work for the prevention and the control of disease. It will be our effort to ensure that every village has access to safe drinking water. The Right to Education Act is in place and we have made considerable progress in universalisation of elementary education. However, going forward we have to give proper attention to issues such as bridging social and gender gaps in school enrolment, adult literacy particularly of women and the need to improve learning outcomes. 

Reduction of infant and maternal mortality rates and population stabilization are among the core health goals of our national programme, National Rural Health Mission. Some states in the Union have already reached the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. This agenda however remains a challenge in many of the other states. We need to, in a mission mode, focus on these states and deploy more human, financial and managerial resources to improve their health status. This was what was done in the last three years under the polio campaign. 

On a broader level, we need to accelerate our efforts to achieve our goal of providing universal access to health care at affordable cost for all our citizens. This needs first and foremost a determined effort to strengthen our public health systems. The National Rural Health Mission aims to develop the basic rural health infrastructure including through greater investments, community participation and optimisation of manpower and resources. 

As the country enters a demographic and epidemiological transition, we need to focus more attention on non communicable diseases and a wider range of infectious diseases. The task of prevention of trauma through prompt and effective emergency care has also acquired great urgency. About 10% of our mortality is now due to trauma which is claiming many young lives. 

The rising cost of health care is another key challenge. The impact of high medical costs places an unconscionable burden on the poor. We are, therefore focusing our attention towards social security of the poor with regard to their health care. 

The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana provides insurance cover today to over 2.67 crore poor families. However, two thirds of private healthcare expenditure is on out-patient and diagnostic care and for purchase of medicines. Insurance schemes generally tend to focus on in-patient cares. We therefore need to work towards hassle free and cashless outpatient care in our public hospitals. 

Thanks to our sustained high growth rates in recent years, we have been able to provide the higher levels of public investment needed in the health sector. Public expenditure on health has increased from less than 1% of our GDP in 2006-07 to an estimated 1.4% of GDP by the end of the Eleventh Five year Plan. But we will need to work harder and do more if we have to reach our goal of increasing public expenditure on health to at least 2.5% of the GDP. Education and health will be the key priorities of the Twelfth Five Year Plan. 

More money for health must also result in more health for the money. Beyond investments, we, therefore need greater capacities for decentralized health care planning and management. This will require greater focus on human resource development as well as on technological innovation and information systems that can support such decentralization. These are the challenges for the future. Building capacities in our 600 odd districts and states of the union is one important area where the sustained support and partnership of all stakeholders will be vital in terms of health outcome. 

Just as the polio campaign saw the Central and State Governments working closely with a common purpose, I am confident that the vision of universal health care will unite all of us in a concerted effort to preserve, to protect and promote the health of all our people.”  [PIB] 25-February-2012 11:43 IST        ****

PM’s address

The Golden Jubilee of Indian Agricultural Research Institute

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh presents the IARI Merit Award to Ms. Patil Tejaswini Balasaheb, at the Golden Jubilee Convocation of the Post Graduate School of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, in New Delhi on February 20, 2012. The Director, IARI, Dr. H.S. Gupta is also seen. [PIB photo]    20-February-2012

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh addressed the Golden Jubilee of Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Delhi today. Following is the text of Prime Minister’s at address on the occasion:-

“I am delighted to participate in the Golden Jubilee convocation of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. I congratulate all those students who are receiving their degrees today, particularly those who are being recognized for their outstanding achievements. I wish them all the very best in their future pursuits. 

Our government has always recognised that a prosperous, productive and sustainable farm economy is the corner stone of equitable and inclusive growth of our country. We have therefore pursued policies to bring about a comprehensive reform and revitalisation of our agrarian economy. 

We have adopted a multi-pronged strategy to improve returns to farming and step up investment in rural infrastructure. Our flagship programme Bharat Nirman has focussed on increasing investment in rural roads, rural electrification, irrigation, rural housing and rural communications. Over the past seven years we have engineered a shift in the terms of trade in favour of agriculture by raising significantly support and procurement prices. We financed a massive debt write off for indebted farmers of our country. We launched the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme which is both a safety net for the poor and also a powerful instrument for undertaking works that will enhance land productivity. We launched the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana and the Rainfed Areas Development Programme. 

These policies have begun to pay off. We have reached new plateaus in foodgrain production. Food production at the end of the 11th Plan will exceed 250 million tonnes, an all time record. Our pulse production, at 18 million tonnes, is well about the previous barrier of 15 million tonnes. We are producing today more milk, more fruits, more vegetables, more sugarcane, more oilseeds and more cotton than ever before. Last year production of vegetables went up by 9.57% and nearly 2 million tonnes of cold storage capacity was created. 

It now looks as if agricultural growth is likely to be about 3.5% per annum during the 11th Five Year Plan which is much better than in the 10th Five Year Plan. This is a commendable achievement but we must improve upon it in the Twelfth Plan to reach 4 percent growth or even higher. This will call for very determined effort on the part of both the central government and the state governments ranging over many areas including investment in irrigation, investment in watershed management, provision of credit, provision of marketing support etc. One of the key elements in that effort must be the contribution of agricultural research and I would like to use this opportunity to focus on this area. 

I am aware that at any given time there is a gap between the yield per hectare that is observed in the field and the yields that can be achieved under ideal farming conditions. That difference is quite substantial at present and it represents the failure of the system to exploit the yield potential which our scientists have given us. In the short run it is the job of the administration to close this gap and our agricultural strategy must give high priority to this effort. This is not the job of research scientists but it does involve close collaboration between our scientific and technical manpower and the administration on the ground. We must do better in this area than we have done thus far. 

One of our major concerns has been the worry that our extension services system is no longer sufficiently robust. The First Green Revolution was carried out on the back of an effective rural extension and research infrastructure. The joining of hands between panchayats, rural agricultural staff, agricultural scientists and district level officials created the foundation of a robust extension services system. The Indian Agricultural Research Institute and state level institutions were very much a part of this system. 

We need now to revitalise this infrastructure of support at the district level. The Krishi Vigyan Kendras which now cover virtually the entirelength and breadth of the country and Agricultural Technology Management Agencies (ATMA) have to play a major role in this process of revitalization and transformation of extension network. 

Looking beyond the application of known technology, our farm economy needs much greater injection of science and a knowledge-based approach to increasing incomes and productivity. Both land and water are limited and it is vital that we make progress in agricultural technology which raises land productivity while also allowing a significant reduction in water use per unit of agricultural output. We need to develop varieties which can ensure high yield while economising on water and are also capable of withstanding water stress. This is as true of crop production as for livestock. We need to develop improved breeds which can flourish in our agro climatic conditions and do not require high value inputs which our farmers cannot afford. 

This depends critically upon the health and vitality of our agricultural research system, centring on the ICAR system and state agricultural universities. We owe a great deal to our scientists for what we have achieved in the past. It is due to the dedicated work of our agricultural scientists that we were able to overcome those constraints. I am very happy that Dr. M.S. Swaminathan the father of the Green Revolution in our country is very much present here. But we should not rest on our laurels. We have a long way to go down this road if we want to assure our farmers of prosperity from the fruits of the land they till. 

The National Agricultural Research System needs to be further strengthened to meet the challenges of the years ahead. One requirement of this is the adequacy of financial resources. Our Government is committed to raising R&D spending as a whole to at least 2% of the GDP by the end of the XII Plan from the current level of about 1%. Given the importance that agriculture has in achieving our national goals, we have to ensure that a significant proportion of increased R&D spending is directed to agriculture and related activities.

Resources are only one part of the solution. I also feel our agricultural research system needs to look inward to see whether it is keeping up with developments globally. We had established two Committees to examine the system and make recommendations on how to strengthen it. One of these Committees was headed by Dr Mashelkar and the other by Dr Swaminathan. We need to review the implementation of the recommendations of these committees to see whether all the recommendations they made have been implemented in letter and spirit. 

I am particularly keen to ensure that research funding is based on clearly defined research goals which are linked to achieving productivity increases in the field. This calls for a system which focuses on basic research at one end but also encourages a spectrum of activity translating basic research to the development of varieties that meet the needs of our farmers given the circumstances in which they have to operate and their resource constraints.

While the public sector needs to take the lead we also need much greater private sector investment and involvement in agriculture, particularly in R&D. Indeed, it is unlikely that the goal of 2% of GDP in research can be achieved unless a significant part of this is financed by the private sector. Further, greater integration of the agricultural, industrial and Science and Technology sectors of our economy alone can yield large productivity gains based on new innovations and technologies. 

We need to promote structured public private partnerships, to foster better synergy among institutions and disciplines. However, for this to happen on an adequate scale, we need to expand the mode of scientific research by funding not just institutions but also research platforms that cut across institutions. Individual researchers and research groups, whether in the National Agricultural Research System, universities, CSIR, scientific establishments or the private sector, should be enabled to form platforms for joint research in key priority areas. These should be funded subject to quality peer review. I am therefore happy that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research has proposed some extra mural funding along these lines in the XIIth Plan. 

The institutionalization of an intellectual property rights regime is important for this to happen. Not only must our scientists be rewarded for their innovative work, but an effective IPR regime will also facilitate research partnerships on the basis of sharing of costs and benefits in the larger interest of our economy and society at large. For example, the public sector has invested in a very large collection of genetic material which is of value to private seed producers. Commercial arrangements could be worked out for use of such knowledge, whose proceeds could be ploughed back into scientific research for public good. 

In this context, we must never forget that linkage with farming communities is vital to enhance the efficiency and productivity of our agricultural research system. This would help to blend modern science with traditional knowledge and make the system more responsive to the felt needs of our farmers. 

Special attention needs to be paid to the role of women in the farm sector. Women have historically been the source of much traditional knowledge. Thus special efforts have to be made to make the entire R&D chain more gender sensitive and give priority to technological options that reduce the drudgery of women working on the farm.

As we go forward, we have to keep in mind not only the increase in demand for food but the changing composition of that demand. It is estimated that we would need an addition of nearly 50 million tonnes of food grains in the next 10 years to meet domestic demand. Increased production of foodgrains is certainly an important plank of food security and our efforts to rid the country of the scourge of malnutrition. 

But proper nutrition also requires a balanced diet. We would need to produce more fruits & vegetables and protein rich products such as milk, eggs, fish and meat. The demand for these products is expected to grow substantially with rising incomes and changing dietary habits and preferences. Therefore we have to pursue a multi-pronged strategy which seeks to boost productivity and production through product-specific interventions. 

I have already mentioned the need to deal with the threat of climate change. Climate change and rising demand for commercial energy are expected to have a significant impact on agriculture in India. Rise in energy demand and continued dependence on fossil-fuel based energy will lead to higher costs of cultivation and also lead to increased carbon emissions. 

I am happy to learn that IARI has recently set up a new Centre for Environment Science and Climate Resilient Agriculture to address these issues. 

I was a student, like many of you here, in the difficult years of the 1940s and 1950s. Times have changed and we have overcome the fears that plagued our nation at that time. But your generation faces even bigger challenges. We achieved higher agricultural productivity through means that used water very intensively and relied heavily on chemical inputs. And we did not have a looming concern on climate change. Your generation has to tackle all these tasks. Fortunately our economy is now much stronger and we are in a position to support research much more than was the case earlier. I assure you that we will do our bit. The glorious history of institutions such as the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, and the quality of the young minds being trained in it today shows that we have the intellectual and institutional capacity to overcome all challenges. I wish each one of you well in your chosen careers and I have no doubt that you will make a major contribution to creating the new green revolution in the years that lie ahead. May your path be blessed.” [PIB] 20-February-2012 11:40 IST ***

Welcome to PM of the Republic of Trinidad

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh meeting the Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Mrs. Kamla Persad-Bissessar, at her ceremonial reception, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on January 06, 2012. Smt. Gursharan Kaur and Dr. Gregory Bissessar are also seen.