Stark inter-regional imbalance can't continue: PM

New Delhi, Dec 23: Concerned over stark inter-regional imbalance, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today called for accelerating the pace of economic growth in the less developed but hugely populous regions of the country.

''Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan need pragmatic and focussed strategies to accelerate development,'' Dr Singh said after giving away the Laxmipat Singhania-IIM Lucknow National Leadership Awards here.

He pointed out that some regions had experienced an average of 8-9 per cent growth in the past two decades, while others were had stuck at 3-3.5 per cent.

This imbalance, he said, cannot continue, particularly when the regions lagging behind constituted a large chunk of the population.

''Unless, these regions catch up, the process of growth will remain uneven and give rise to social and political unrest. We must accelerate the pace of economic growth in the less developed regions of the country,'' he added.

The Prime Minister asked the management institutes such as IIM-Lucknow to analyse the reasons for the backwardness of some regions and come forward with pragmatic and focused strategies to accelerate development, both rural and urban. ''In UP, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Rajasthan, you must engage the region's political leadership and help them understand the imperatives of development,'' he said.

He also asked the states to pay special attention to the challenge of improving the quality of governance, both in local and state administration.

''They must improve the quality of public services, and make them more effective and efficient. We need a leadership that has the vision to ensure that government institutions perform better, attitudes change, and taxpayers get their money's worth.'' He said the time had come for the region to realise its potential and take a great leap forward.

''This requires both hard work and creativity.'' Citing a study, he said if the present trends continued then by 2020 Punjab would be where Germany was today, while Uttar Pradesh would be where Punjab was today.

''One wonders where Gujarat and Tamil Nadu will be, but we cannot allow these sharp inter-regional imbalances to continue,'' he asserted.

Citing the example of Kerala which scored highly in human development indicators despite not being among the more developed states, he called upon the northern states to invest adequately in its people.

''The region needs both investment in primary education and in higher education. It needs more investment in technical education and vocational training. While the Central government is willing to provide a supportive policy environment, state governments have to do much more to capitalise on the emerging knowledge economy.'' He said the northern region could cooperate in many areas to provide a superior resource and infrastructure base.

''The region is criss-crossed by rivers. States should establish cooperative mechanisms to manage water resources, both in quantity and efficiency.

''The region has a power deficit of over 10 per cent. Here too, states can cooperate to promote better generation and utilisation of power across the region.'' These two sectors, he said, had a direct bearing on agricultural performance, and improving power and water management would ensure that the region continued to be a leader in agricultural development and continued to remain the granary of India.

Pointing out that a function like this should in fact have taken place in Lucknow so that the people of Lucknow could have participated in it, he suggested that these award functions should rotate from place to place.

UNI