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Dismantle terror infrastructure : PM tells Pakistan |
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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his Independence Day speech has clearly told Pakistan that half-hearted efforts to check the activities of terrorists from its soil will not do. He said it is necessary that the entire infrastructure of terrorism is totally dismantled. Manmohan Singh said as long as militant groups continue their terrorist attacks, the country’s armed forces will be on alert and give them a fitting response.
Addressing the Nation from the Red Fort, the Prime Minister said that the Government’s objective is to improve the conditions of the common man. He said India’s future is extremely bright, but the focus would need to be on economic growth and social justice. He said “the benefits of progress and growth must reach all sections of society in a fair manner. Our vision is not just of economic growth, but also of a growth which would improve the life of “aam admi” (common man).
Arguing that no problem was beyond “discussion and dialogue,” the Prime Minister said the Government’s door was open and invited “everyone to join us to discuss the problems of the State of Jammu and Kashmir so that its people can lead a life of peace and dignity.” But, “if violence continues, then our response too will be hard.”
Dr. Singh regretted that “complete peace and tranquility” eluded Jammu and Kashmir and the north-east.
On terrorism and extremism, the Prime Minister said : “A democratic government should be able to differentiate between the genuine problems of people and the designs of terrorists. In any case, extremism was a challenge that not only required a united response from all of us, but also called for a political resolution of this problem.
“The composite dialogue with Pakistan was continuing, the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad highway had been reopened and discussions are also going on on a gas pipeline from Iran to India via Pakistan.” The Prime Minister made a specific mention of the gas pipeline in the context of the controversy over his remarks on the project during his recent visit to the US.
President’s call for energy independence
In his address to the nation on the eve of Independence Day, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam called upon the country to become alert to the needs of energy independence. He said energy is the lifeline of modern societies. India with 17 per cent of the world population, had just 0.8 per cent of the world’s known oil and natural gas resources. He said in this scenario, there is need for ensuring that our country can supply energy to all citizens at affordable prices and at all times.
The President noted that there would have to be a ten-fold increase in nuclear power generation to achieve a reasonable degree of energy self-sufficiency.
Hence, the focus should be on development of nuclear power using thorium as the country has a large reserve of this key source material. In addition, nuclear fusion research needs to progress with international cooperation to keep the option for meeting the large power requirement, at a time when fossil fuels get depleted.
As per his timetable, by 2020, India should achieve comprehensive energy security and by 2030, there should be energy independence.
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