Govt building architechture of inclusive growth: Kalam

New Delhi, Feb 23 (UNI) President A P J Abdul Kalam today said the government is building a ''new architecture of inclusive growth'' consisting of Bharat Nirman, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and the National Rural Health Mission and strengthening and expanding the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission.

In his address to the Joint Session of Parliament, the President said considerable progress has been made in all these schemes.

Targets have been met for projects undertaken through Bharat Nirman, except in a few states.

Programmes for rural roads, rural electrification, rural telephony, rural housing and rural drinking water supply were on track, he said and urged the states, which are lagging behind to pay greater attention to the implementation issues.

Pointing out that generating additional employment was the focus area of the government, the President said the sustained increase in rate of investment has touched a record 34 per cent of GDP and would generate additional employment.

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) has benefitted 1.4 crore households in 200 districts. Over 5 lakh works are underway under NREGA of which half is in the area of water conservation and drought proofing contributing to rebuilding of the natural resource base.

Asserting the commitment of the government to expand NREGA to whole of the country in five years of its coming into force, he said many more districts would be covered in the next year. It has not only provided social safety net to poor but also developed rural infrastructure.

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