Monday, November 21 2005 14:26 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Banglore: President A P J Abdul Kalam today (Nov 21,2005) said the major challenge faced by India today in the path of development is to fight societal and economic impoverishment and inequality in various aspects of life by uplifting the 260 million people who are below the poverty line, those on the border line or just above poverty line.

The five areas where India has a core competence for integrated action to achieve this goal are agriculture and food processing, reliable and quality electric power, surface transport and infrastructure for all parts the country, education and healthcare, information and communication technology and strategic sectors, he said inaugurating the Bangalore International Centre (BIC).

Emphasis should be on full utilisation of natural and human resources of the nation, keeping in mind that about 50 per cent of our population consists of the young aspiring for a better living, he said.

Value addition to agriculture and manufacturing and service sectors will lead to high income employment potential, Kalam said.

Engines of growth will be accelerated by launching five national missions of water, energy, education and skills, infrastructure and employment generation that will enable achievement of 10 per cent GDP growth rate per annum from the present 7 per cent, he said.

Serious attention needs to paid to water management, one of the core areas of part of infrastructure development and in this "recycling of water' can play an important role. "We must ensure that recycling of water becomes a legal requirement', he said.

On the energy front, an integrated action plan is needed to ensure that "energy management percolates to the lowest strata of society and is not confined to just the high levels", Kalam said.

Above all what is needed to accomplish this mission is evolution of enlightened and visionary leaders in all walks of life, be it politics, administration, religion, business, education or science, he said.

For this, inculcation of education with a strong value system based on "righteousness" is the pre-requisite, Kalam said.

He said the BIC, should create an environment for productive debate on all "crucial and pressing issues facing the common man and the nation".

Dr R K Pachauri, Director-General of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Vice President of BIC, assured BIC would not only focus on crucial issues but also come out with an action plan to tackle it.

Dr A K Ramachandran, President BIC said the centre is being hosted by TERI which will provide the logistic and organisational support to it (BIC) for sometime.

Modelled on the lines of India International Centre (IIC) and India Habitat Centre (IHC) in Delhi, BIC is being developed as a hub of cultural and intellectual activities in the city, reaching out to the world at large to assimilate global influences.

The Centre will bring together the who's who of Bangalore intelligentsia, corporate world and cultural milieu.