Nation is going through major challenge : President Kalam

Srinagar, July 28 (UNI) President A P J Abdul Kalam today said the nation is going through a major challenge of uplifting 220 million people who are below the poverty line out of the total population of a billion plus population.

They need habitat, they need food, they need healthcare, and they need education and employment finally resulting in a good life, Dr Kalam said while addressing a joint session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislature here today.

'' Our GDP is growing at nearly 8 percent per annum,'' he said and added that economists suggest '' our economy has to grow at the rate of an additional minimum of 2 percent per annum consistently, for over a decade, to uplift the people from below the poverty line.'' He said ''our mission of transforming India into a Developed Nation is to meet the needs of all the billion people.'' '' We have identified five areas where India has core competencies for integrated action-- Agriculture and food processing, Education and Healthcare, Infrastructure for all parts of the country such as reliable and quality electric power and surface and air transport, Information and Communication Technology and self-reliance in Strategic sectors'',he said.

These five areas are closely inter-related and when effectively addressed, would lead to food, economic, energy and national security and lead to sustainable prosperity.

He said emphasis should be on full utilization of natural and human resources of the region to meet the demands of modern society.

''We should also remember that about 50 percent of our population consists of young people, with aspirations for a better life. This is also true in the case of Jammu and Kashmir,'' the President said.

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