NEW DELHI: Following is the text of the address by President Pratibha Patil to Parliament on Thursday.
Honourable Members, I convey my good wishes to you and to all our people. On behalf of all of us, let me greet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. We are happy that he is recuperating fast. We wish him a speedy recovery for continuing with his onerous responsibilities. I also convey my special greetings to members of our security forces keeping vigil to protect us.
We have been through an eventful year — a year that challenged our open society and our open economy. A year that tested by fire the principles that our country has always lived by-communal amity, tolerance, compassion, justice and peaceful coexistence.
Looking back, we see hope. We have not only withstood the challenges but also emerged stronger. The spirit of ordinary people rising together as one overcame the challenge to our nation from terrorist violence. The calibrated and prudent economic reform pursued by our government is helping us to weather the extreme adversities of the global economic meltdown.
In both these disruptive events, it was our abiding commitment to the principles of democracy that has been our strength. Our economic reform was catalysed through our deliberative democracy. Challenges to our nationhood were again thwarted by our functioning democracy.
The record turnout of people in Jammu and Kashmir to cast their votes in the elections to the State Assembly in a peaceful atmosphere was a resounding affirmation of their faith in democracy and a rejection of terrorism and violence. The elections have brought new hope to the people of that state.
Our functioning democracy has set for my government exacting standards to judge its performance. People measure government not on the basis of what it says but on the basis of what it does. In a democracy, government is measured on a simple maxim aam admi ko kya mila? When democratic, secular, progressive forces came together in this government it sought to make itself accountable to the people through a National Common Minimum Programme.
Today, after close to five years in office, my government believes that it has acted on nearly all the commitments made to the people through the National Common Minimum Programme.
The commitment to inclusive development articulated in the NCMP has been translated into laws, policies and programmes by my government. A right to work for people in our rural areas was guaranteed through the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
The Unorganised Workers' Social Security Act, 2008, will facilitate provision of social security to 43 crore unorganized workers. Through the Act on Right to Information, government has been held accountable to citizens for governance.
Through the Scheduled Tribes and Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, historical injustice to tribes and traditional forest dwellers was corrected to confer land rights. A Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act ensured reservation to students of Other Backward Classes in educational institutions.
A Bill on Right to Education, a Bill for amending the Land Acquisition Act along with a new Bill for Rehabilitation and Resettlement and a Constitution Amendment Bill providing for Reservation for Women in Lok Sabha and State Legislatures stand introduced in Parliament.
The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, which now covers the whole country, is the first such intervention anywhere in the world where a country has guaranteed employment for a specified number of days to any category of citizens.
In 2007-08, nearly 3.4 crore rural households were provided employment under this programme. Out of those provided work, 55 per cent belonged to Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes and 49 per cent was women.
Over 46 lakh works have been taken up under the programme so far of which 19 lakh have been completed. Water conservation, irrigation and land development account for 83 per cent of the work in 2008-09 contributing to agricultural productivity. It has consolidated grassroots democracy working through panchayats.
Payments under the programme are being effected through post offices and bank accounts which now hold nearly 6 crore account holders making it a remarkable case of financial inclusion. This programme is keenly watched all over the world as an Indian innovation in combining the twin objectives of providing for consumption expenditure of the poor as well as improving rural productivity and income.
Results of the programme in the last three years show increased agricultural productivity, reduced migration and increase in wage rates for agricultural employment across the country. As India is entering the sixtieth year of the republic, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is moving India towards a Republic of Work.
Soruce: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Presidents_address_to_Parliament/articleshow/4117144.cms
Honourable Members, I convey my good wishes to you and to all our people. On behalf of all of us, let me greet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. We are happy that he is recuperating fast. We wish him a speedy recovery for continuing with his onerous responsibilities. I also convey my special greetings to members of our security forces keeping vigil to protect us.
We have been through an eventful year — a year that challenged our open society and our open economy. A year that tested by fire the principles that our country has always lived by-communal amity, tolerance, compassion, justice and peaceful coexistence.
Looking back, we see hope. We have not only withstood the challenges but also emerged stronger. The spirit of ordinary people rising together as one overcame the challenge to our nation from terrorist violence. The calibrated and prudent economic reform pursued by our government is helping us to weather the extreme adversities of the global economic meltdown.
In both these disruptive events, it was our abiding commitment to the principles of democracy that has been our strength. Our economic reform was catalysed through our deliberative democracy. Challenges to our nationhood were again thwarted by our functioning democracy.
The record turnout of people in Jammu and Kashmir to cast their votes in the elections to the State Assembly in a peaceful atmosphere was a resounding affirmation of their faith in democracy and a rejection of terrorism and violence. The elections have brought new hope to the people of that state.
Our functioning democracy has set for my government exacting standards to judge its performance. People measure government not on the basis of what it says but on the basis of what it does. In a democracy, government is measured on a simple maxim aam admi ko kya mila? When democratic, secular, progressive forces came together in this government it sought to make itself accountable to the people through a National Common Minimum Programme.
Today, after close to five years in office, my government believes that it has acted on nearly all the commitments made to the people through the National Common Minimum Programme.
The commitment to inclusive development articulated in the NCMP has been translated into laws, policies and programmes by my government. A right to work for people in our rural areas was guaranteed through the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
The Unorganised Workers' Social Security Act, 2008, will facilitate provision of social security to 43 crore unorganized workers. Through the Act on Right to Information, government has been held accountable to citizens for governance.
Through the Scheduled Tribes and Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, historical injustice to tribes and traditional forest dwellers was corrected to confer land rights. A Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act ensured reservation to students of Other Backward Classes in educational institutions.
A Bill on Right to Education, a Bill for amending the Land Acquisition Act along with a new Bill for Rehabilitation and Resettlement and a Constitution Amendment Bill providing for Reservation for Women in Lok Sabha and State Legislatures stand introduced in Parliament.
The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, which now covers the whole country, is the first such intervention anywhere in the world where a country has guaranteed employment for a specified number of days to any category of citizens.
In 2007-08, nearly 3.4 crore rural households were provided employment under this programme. Out of those provided work, 55 per cent belonged to Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes and 49 per cent was women.
Over 46 lakh works have been taken up under the programme so far of which 19 lakh have been completed. Water conservation, irrigation and land development account for 83 per cent of the work in 2008-09 contributing to agricultural productivity. It has consolidated grassroots democracy working through panchayats.
Payments under the programme are being effected through post offices and bank accounts which now hold nearly 6 crore account holders making it a remarkable case of financial inclusion. This programme is keenly watched all over the world as an Indian innovation in combining the twin objectives of providing for consumption expenditure of the poor as well as improving rural productivity and income.
Results of the programme in the last three years show increased agricultural productivity, reduced migration and increase in wage rates for agricultural employment across the country. As India is entering the sixtieth year of the republic, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is moving India towards a Republic of Work.
Soruce: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Presidents_address_to_Parliament/articleshow/4117144.cms
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