Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said the writ of the “state” would be enforced in dealing with the challenge of Naxalism and declared his government’s intent to fight terrorism “root and branch”. He also viewed that the price rise can be tackled with a “firm action” and assured that his government will take corrective steps to rein in inflation.
Speaking on the occasion of the first anniversary of the second term of the United Progressive Alliance government while releasing the 68-page report, Dr Singh reviewed the performance of his government over the last 12 months.
Speaking on the issue of internal security and Maoists violence, he said: “We will fight against the scourge of Communalism and political extremism. We will ensure that this great, liberal and plural nation of ours is not weakened by hatred and bigotry.”
On the Naxal challenge the Prime Minister said: “In dealing with the challenge of Naxalism, we will pursue a policy that genuinely seeks to address developmental concerns at the grass roots while firmly enforcing the writ of the state.”
Another issue which has put the Centre in the dock has been the price rise. “One of the major problems that we face at present is the pressure on prices. This is to a large extent the aftermath of the draught, but it needs firm action. We have taken a number of steps to contain inflation and to protect the vulnerable sections of our society. I am happy that prices have shown a moderating trend in recent weeks. I am hopeful that this trend will continue. We will continue to monitor the situation very carefully and take whatever corrective steps are necessary to rein in inflation.” the Prime Minister assured. The Food Security Bill is under preparation and it is proposed to place it in the public domain for scrutiny and wider consultation, he said.
While identifying that STs, SCs, OBCs, minorities, women and farmers are the core constituency of his government he said: “We will lay special emphasis on the concerns and interests of these sections.”
However, Dr Singh remained non-committal on the Women’s Reservation Bill which has yet to be tabled in the Lok Sabha after it was passed by the Rajya Sabha during the Budget Session of Parliament.
“The second UPA government is dedicated to building an economically stronger, a socially just, a culturally vibrant, a regionally balanced, a politically participative, a fully educated, a technologically modern, a creative and enterprising India. As we enter the second year of our second term we rededicate ourselves to these objectives and to the welfare of all our citizens,” he said.
He made it clear that he was “conscious of the tremendous challenges” lying ahead, and said the government will seek “new frontiers and new directions” to strengthen social and economic foundations during the remaining tenure of four years.
He referred to the various initiatives taken for economic growth, social upliftment of people and empowerment of children in terms of education and said such efforts would be taken further to provide an “effective, purposeful and responsive” government.
“The Report to the People — 2009-10” highlighted 12 major themes of the government’s priority. These cover areas like economic resurgence, internal security, education, health, child rights, food security, empowerment of women, weaker sections and minorities, rural renewal and foreign relations.
Speaking while releasing the report, he asserted that the government would fight the scourge of communalism and “political extremism”.
“We will ensure that this great, liberal and plural nation of ours is not weakened by hatred and bigotry,” Dr Singh asserted.