War on poverty, terrorism part of PM's I-day address

New Delhi, Aug 13: India's continuing battle against poverty, on the one hand, and terrorism and insurgency, on the other, will be the twin themes of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's address to the nation from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort on Independence Day on Tuesday.

The day will mark the beginning of the 60th year of independence for India and Dr Singh, more than aware of the significance of the occasion, has been working on his speech for nearly a month now, official sources told UNI.

"He has already gone through some 12 drafts of the address in the midst of a very busy schedule," they said.

Apart from the war against poverty and terrorism, the Prime Minister will also focus on another topic close to his heart---the efforts being made by the government to provide the youth of the country the opportunities they need to realise their full potential in a rapidly globalising world.

This assumes importance in view of the fact that India has emerged as one of the world's youngest countries today in demographic terms, with the average age of its population around 25 years.

The sources said Dr Singh would also use the opportunity to take stock of what the country has achieved since the first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, made his famous "Tryst with Destiny" speech in August, 1947 and outline his own vision of India's future.

"The Independence Day speech is traditionally the Prime Minister's own vision of the country's future, rather than a mere statement of government policy," the sources explained.

In Dr Singh's case, the vision will be of a confident nation wedded to the values of democracy, pluralism and social justice.

"Overall, it will be a statement of confidence. That India has achieved a lot over the past six decades through a vibrant democracy but there are major challenges such as poverty and terrorism to be tackled," the sources said.

The address, which will be Dr Singh's third from the Red Fort, will be made against a grim scenario in many parts of India.

India is yet to recover from the horror of the July 7 serial blasts in Mumbai, which claimed more than 180 lives. The heightened security measures across the country in recent days because of fresh threat perceptions have only added to the concerns in this regard. The government is still tackling the problem of suicides by farmers in Maharashtra and other parts of the country, and the Prime Minister himself had spent a couple of days in the Vidarbha region some weeks to personally understand the issues involved.

Many parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are currently reeling under the impact of floods, and people across the country are struggling to cope with the rising prices of essential commodities.

While India is now recognised the world over as an Information Technology superpower, there is also growing unease with the fact that the trickle down effects of the entire process of economic reforms are yet to be seen in large parts of the country, especially the rural areas. Added to this is the disquiet caused in recent times by the reservation issue.

According to the sources, Dr Singh will dwell at length on the serious efforts being made by the UPA government at several levels to tackle the scourge of poverty and unemployment.

As part of this, he will speak about the progress made so far in the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme, the Bharat Nirman programme, the National Urban Renewal Mission and the National Rural Health Mission.

He is also expected to speak about the steps being taken by the government to fight inflation at a time when people across the country are struggling with rising prices. He will point out that the government has been able to keep inflation at manageable levels, despite the fact that international oil prices have more than doubled since his government assumed office.

While talking about terrorism and insurgency, the Prime Minister is expected to detail the steps taken by the government to tackle the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the North-Eastern states and the Naxalite-affected areas.

He is also expected to talk about the efforts made by the government to strengthen relations with the United States, Russia, China, the European Union and ASEAN nations, and the opportunities these initiatives offer to the country to put itself on a higher growth trajectory. He is likely to emphasise the need for India to get out of an isolationist mindset and build bridges of coopertion with the rest of the world.

On India's relations with its neighbours, the Prime Minister is expected to underline his view that the destiny of all nations in South Asia is interlinked. He is likely to emphasise that India cannot prosper unless the entire region prospers, and the region cannot prosper unless India marches ahead, the sources said. "We have a shared past and a shared future," he is likely to say.

In particular, he is expected to speak about the hurdles in the peace process with Pakistan, especially because of the continuing support provided by that country to cross- border terrorism and infiltration.

According to the sources, the Prime Minister will point out that India's improved relations with these countries had also helped to strengthen its security and added teeth to its fight against the global scourge of terrorism.

Looking ahead, Dr Singh is expected to speak about the efforts being made to give the youth of the country a stake in its future by providing them more educational and employment opportunities.

In this context, he is also likely to touch upon the reservation issue, which has evoked strong feelings across the country in recent months.

He will reiterate his view that efforts needed to be made to provide more opportunities in education and employment to youth from the deprived sections without compromising on merit and excellence in any way. "He will emphasise that the government wants the best and the brightest of the land should see India as a land of opportunity," the sources said. He is also expected to point out the several steps taken by the government in recent years in the matter of providing more scholarships and increasing the number of seats in professional educational institutions in the country.

The Prime Minister is also likely to speak about the achievements of his government on the economic front, especially the fact that the country has achieved an unprecedented eight per cent growth for three years in a row.

Dr Singh is also likely to spell out the efforts being made to step up investments in infrastructure development and agriculture, among other areas.

Energy security continues to remain an area of concern and the Prime Minister is expected to list out the benefits of the Indo-US deal in civil nuclear energy cooperation that has invited criticism from some quarters.

On economic reforms, especially disinvestment, the Prime Minister is expected to state that his government was for political consensus on such issues. He is also likely to use the occasion to reassure investors that his government was committed to the process of reforms.

Other issues likely to figure in the address include water scarcity, sanitation, healthcare, ethics in public life, rural development, Panchayati Raj, urban renewal and administrative reforms.

He will also restate the government's commitment to the welfare and the modernisation of the armed forces.

In sum, he will emphasise that all the initiatives taken by his government were aimed at ensuring the welfare of the "Aam Aadmi" (the common man), the slogan which propelled the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to power in the 14th Lok Sabha elections in 2004. The stress will be, he is likely to say, on development with equity, the crux of the UPA's National Common Minimum Programme.

The Prime Minister does not like to make too many announcements of new schemes on such occasions. "Today, I have no promises to make, but I have promises to keep," he had said in his first Independence Day address two years ago.

UNI