NEW DELHI: Former President APJ Abdul Kalam on Thursday said the factors like complexity of decisions and lack of transparency were coming in the way of development reaching villages and suggested Gujarat model to overcome such problems so that the rural sector reaps the benefits of new technology and growth. He also lauded former Prime Ministers P V Narasimha Rao and Atal Bihari Vajpayee for their excellent leadership and said both these leaders had the courage to take difficult decisions boldly even though their consequences had great national and international significance. Referring to programmes, implemented by the Narendra Modi government, Kalam pointed out that approximately one lakh officials in Gujarat, from the CM to taluka-level staff, agricultural scientists and other stakeholders, spend a month during April and May in rural areas demonstrating the best of technologies to farmers. Such initiatives indicate a strong administrative will to ensure development reaches the rural sector. Krushi Mahotsav tours all 18,600 villages of the state, providing information and counseling on soil health, organic farming, technology and inputs, irrigation, etc., besides infusing a new spirit of change and mass mobilization, he said while delivering the UPSC lecture on Governance and Public Service. Besides, he said, the Gujarat government has also instituted an e-governance system linking the panchayat level, district HQs and the state government leading to transparency and speed in the decision-making process. Speaking about former PMs, Kalam referred to an incident in 1996 when the then PM P V Narasimha Rao asked him to brief Vajpayee about the details of nuclear programme so that a smooth transition of such an important programme can take place. This incident reveals the maturity and professional excellence of a patriotic statesman who believed that the nation is bigger than the political system, he said. After Vajpayee took over as the PM in 1998, he entrusted him with the onerous task to conduct the nuclear test at the earliest, Kalam said. Contending that India has to transform into an economically developed nation by 2020, he said this means all citizens can live in a green, clean environment without pollution, having prosperity without poverty, peace without fear of war and general happiness. The former President in his speech mentioned the names of C Subramanian, M S Swaminathan and B Sivaraman, architects of the Green Revolution, space scientist Vikram Sarabhai, Delhi metro chief E Sreedharan and several other visionaries to drive home his point that creative leadership can do a world of good for the countrys development.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 13:06:57 +0000
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