Saturday, August 20 2005 18:10 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: Pointing out that sharing of river waters has become a source of dispute in parts of the country, President A P J Abdul Kalam today (August 20, 2005) called for equitable distribution of quality water.

Speaking at the Confederation of Indian Industry-organised by the Bangalore Leadership Conclave 2005, Kalam also underscored on equity in distribution of energy. Noting that the country's oil import bill is a staggering Rs 140,000 crore, the President stressed the need for the country to tread the path towards energy independence and pursue efforts on the renewable energy front. He said agriculture; industries and the services sector need to work in `symphony'.

Pointing to the threat of water scarcity in the years to come, Kalam also called for increasing use of technology in agriculture to derive higher productivity. Managing one billion people of multiple religion, language and cultures, and knowledge power are India's core competencies, the President opined.

Competitiveness, Kalam said, is key to India's economic development. In this context, he mentioned the role of technology, innovation, resource investment, quality, value, employee production, working environment and management stewardship in driving competitiveness.

In response to a comment from a member of the audience who included people from diverse backgrounds including scientists, artists, doctors, teachers, businessmen, teachers and students, Kalam said unless employment potential is generated, it's not possible to sell the concept of education and healthcare in rural areas.