INDIAN PARTICIPANTS AT CHILDREN'S EARTH SUMMIT MEET PRESIDENT

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A group of Indian children from across the country who were selected to go to Johannesburg in South Africa for the Children’s Earth Summit 2002 called on the President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam here today. The group which consisted of school children and street children, told the President that their message at the summit was "Conserve Nature". About 100 children representing 13 countries participated at the Summit, which was held last month.

The group presented Dr. Kalam the Children’s Earth Summit Declaration. The Declaration says that a sustainable future can be brought about by addressing five issues: Basic Rights, Education, Health, Population and Poverty.

The President told the children that while basic rights are important, they should not forget the importance of duties. He told the delegation that as youth in the age group of 11 to 17 they represent 70% of India’s population and it was upto them to shape the future of the nation. Dr. Kalam told the members of the delegation that they should dream as dreams transform into thoughts and thoughts result into action. The President asked the children to work towards making India a developed nation by 2020 and to work to remove poverty. Dr. Kalam said elimination of poverty would transform India into a developed nation and would also help in protecting the environment. The President also said the country needed to progress in five critical areas: Education, Agriculture and Food Processing, Information Technology and Communication Technology, Infrastructure and Critical Technology.