President Pratibha Patil on Monday said the Centre is consulting state governments on the proposed National Food Security Act (NFSA), which will give the poor a legal entitlement to subsidised foodgrains.
“The states are being consulted as the success of the programme (NFSA) hinges critically on their commitment to reforms in the public distribution system (PDS),” Ms Patil said in her address to parliament to mark the beginning of the Budget Session.
Signalling that the forthcoming Budget would give a vigorous push to economic reforms, Ms Patil said the government’s top priority would be to check inflation without hurting growth.
“We have to maintain the momentum for reforms on a wide front,” she said.
The indication comes a week before the presentation of the General Budget for 2011-12 in the Lok Sabha on February 28 by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee.
In her speech which lasted over 45 minutes at the historic Central Hall of Parliament, the President highlighted key issues before the nation and the government’s plan to tackle it. She also said the government attaching the “highest importance to the implementation of all laws relating to the protection of the environment and forests.” The rapid pace of economic growth is imposing new challenges, she viewed and said “a developing country like ours must find ways to strike an appropriate balance between environmental imperatives and developmental needs.”
On the NFSA, she said the government has received important inputs on the proposed act from the National Advisory Council (NAC), headed by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
“I had announced earlier my government’s commitment to bring forward the NFSA that will entitle statutory every family below the poverty line to foodgrains at highly subsidised prices. Important inputs in this regard have been received from the NAC,” the President said.
Pointing out that inflation has been “a problem in the past year”, she said the long-term solution lies in raising production and the productivity of agri-crops.
She listed “combating inflation” as one of the top priorities for the government in 2011-12.
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Prez: Steps to revamp armed forces soon
Age Correspondent
New Delhi
Feb. 21: President Pratibha Patil in her address to Parliament on Monday said the government will insist on “the highest levels of probity and professionalism in the armed forces”. The statement is significant, considering that the Army’s image has been affected by a series of scams such the Sukna scam, Adarsh scam and Kandivili scam. Praising the bravery of the armed forces, the President said the government is taking all steps to transform the armed forces into a modern force that is equipped to meet the security challenges of the 21st century. She also said special attention was being paid to indigenous development of defence technologies.