UPA Govt.'s programmes drawn from Amartya Sen's world view: PM

New Delhi, August 11 : Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Monday said at Prof. Hiren Mukherjee Memorial Lecture by Amartya Sen that policies and programmes of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government and the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) are largely drawn from the world view of Prof. Amartya Sen that is inclusive growth.

Dr. Singh said today India stands as a shining example of a poor country seeking its economic and social salvation within the frame work of a liberal and secular democracy.

Prof. Sen, Nobel Laureate and distinguished economist has called for comprehensive administrative reforms to over come the challenges of social and economic injustice in India.

He said in his lecture in the Central hall of Parliament today, the priorities of the Government must focus on removing the gross and lasting inequalities in the country.

Recalling the parliamentary legacy of Prof. Hiren Mukherjee, he said that the veteran Marxist always championed the cause of the downtrodden.

Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari was also present on the occasion. He described Prof. Mukherjee as an iconic figure, who was the voice of the millions of suffering masses in Parliament.

He said Prof. Mukherjee was an accomplished parliamentarian who enjoyed 'battling with foemen worthy of their steel', felt the question hour was reflective of 'the power and value of the legislative rapier' and took a thoughtful pride in the functioning of the parliament in its early days.

He added that Prof. Mukherjee also watched with misgiving the emergence of a category to which, in his words, 'the decencies of discourse are irrelevant'.

Ansari said equally appropriate is the choice of the person to deliver this first lecture. The celebrated author of 'The Argumentative Indian' has spent a lifetime on problems of development and inequality and does believe, as he himself puts it, that 'silence is a powerful enemy of social justice'.

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said in his address that providing social and economic justice to the vast masses is a great challenge before the country.

He said the leadership must look beyond partisan politics to build a prosperous India. Recalling the concerns of Prof. Mukherjee for the poor and down trodden and his mission to change society, he said the theme of the lecture is appropriate to remember one of India's great parliamentarians.

ANI