SUMMARY OF PRIME MINISTER’S INDEPENDENCE DAY ADDRESS

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ELECTIONS IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR WILL BE FULLY FREE AND FAIR

TALKS WITH ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES AND ORGANISATIONS; DISCUSSION ALSO ON DEMAND FOR MORE POWERS TO THE STATE

PAKISTAN ADOPTING DOUBLE STANDARDS ON TERORISM

FOMENTING TROUBLE IN THE STATE

INDIA WANTS ALL ISSUES TO BE RESOLVED PEACEFULLY THROUGH NEGOTIATIONS

STEPS TAKEN TO DEAL WITH DROUGHT

ANTYODAYA ANNA YOJANA TO BE EXTENDED

SPEEDY IMPLEMENTATION OF

SAMPOORNA GRAMEEN ROJGAR YOJANA

RS.5,000 CRORE GIVEN TO STATES FOR FOOD-FOR-WORK PROGRAMME

EFFECTIVE LONG TERM STRATEGY ON FLOODS AND DROUGHT ON THE ANVIL

A NEW SCHEME PRADHAN MANTRI GRAMEEN JAL SAMVARDHAN YOJANA TO BE UNVEILED SOON

ONE LAKH HAND PUMPS FOR WATER SCARCE AREAS

DRINKING WATER IN ONE LAKH RURAL PRIMARY SCHOOLS

ONE LAKH TRADITIONAL SOURCES OF DRINKING WATER TO BE REVIVED

APPEALS TO POLITICAL PARTIES FOR CONSENSUS ON POWER SECTOR REFORMS

CALL TO MAINTAIN PEACE, COMMUNAL AMITY EVEN IN MOST SERIOUS AND PROVOCATIVE CIRCUMSTANCES

ELECTORAL REFORMS TO KEEP CRIMINALS OUT OF POWER

NO COMPROMISE ON CORRUPTION AT ANY LEVEL

SUMMARY OF PRIME MINISTER’S INDEPENDENCE DAY ADDRESS

The Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has said that the elections to Jammu & Kashmir will be fully free and fair. Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort, after hoisting the national flag on the occasion of 56^th Independence Day, the Prime Minister said that all the designs to create an atmosphere of fear will be frustrated. He said the process of peace and democracy has arrived at a decisive turn in the state which has been grappling with terrorism. He appealed to the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh to participate actively and in large numbers in the elections. The Prime Minister expressed the hope that the displaced people including Kashmiri Pundits will be able to go back to their homes with respect after the elections. He assured the people that if any mistakes have occurred, amends will be made. For this, talks will be held with the elected representatives and organizations. Discussion will take place on the demand for more powers to the state.

The Prime Minister said Kashmir for us is not a piece of land, it is a test case for secularism. Accusing Pakistan of adopting double standards on the issue of terrorism, he said while it opposed terrorism at the international level it has resorted to cross-border terrorism for grabbing Kashmir after facing defeats in wars. He said that the world can not accept that the cruel massacre of Amarnath pilgrims, or the carnage of innocent women and children at Kaluchak and Kasim Nagar are a part of any "freedom struggle". The Prime Minister said those who call the forthcoming elections in the state farcical should not give us lectures on democracy.

Reiterating India’s desire to resolve all outstanding issues peacefully and through negotiations, the Prime Minister wondered how could attempts to flagrantly provoke the people of Jammu & Kashmir to boycott elections create an atmosphere for any meaningful talks. He said we are prepared to take some more steps in this direction. However, for this it is necessary to create a conducive atmosphere. Terrorism, he said, has become a festering wound and we are determined to defeat cross-border terrorism in the state. The Prime Minister said that Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of India and will remain so.

Expressing his anguish over the recent communal violence in Gujarat, Shri Vajpayee urged the people to rise above casteism and communalism. He said, we will have to leave behind all those things that divide us. He was emphatic that there is no place for such violence in civilized society. The Prime Minister said that we must maintain peace, communal amity, national unity and integrity even in the most serious and provocative circumstances. The Prime Minister said, it is the responsibility of the government and the society alike to provide security and equal opportunities for the minorities.

Referring to the unprecedented drought situation in the country the Prime Minister said that the Government has taken every possible step to deal effectively with the situation. He said the godowns are brimming with foodgrains and no one will be allowed to die of hunger. He said, the scope of Antyodaya Anna Yojana is being extended to help the weaker sections of the society, drought relief programmes are being speedily implemented under the Rs.10,000 crore Sampoorna Gramin Rojgar Yojana and Rs.5,000 crore has been given to states to undertake food-for-work activities.

The Prime Minister announced that an effective long-term strategy to protect the country from drought and floods is on the anvil. A new initiative called Pradhan Mantri Grammen Jal Samvardhan Yojana will be shortly unveiled. He also announced that three other important programmes would be started soon. Under this one lakh hand pumps will be installed in water scarce areas, one-lakh primary schools in rural areas will be provided with drinking water facilities and one-lakh traditional sources of drinking water will be revived.

The Prime Minister appealed to all political parties to arrive at a consensus on the minimum agenda for power sector reforms. He said the scarcity of electricity has assumed crisis proportions in many states. Shri Vajpayee said there is consensus among political parties on issues of national security and asked why can’t we create a similar consensus on certain pressing issues of social and economic development. In a multi-party system, the race for power is natural. However, this race has to remain within the limits of the ‘nation first’ principle.

On the economic front, the Prime Minister said scarcity has been transformed into surplus. There is no crowd in front of ration shops, no lines for gas and telephone connections and the queues for kerosene have become shorter. He said in the past four years, we have initiated the process of construction of nearly 60 lakh new houses. Of these, 35 lakh houses are in rural areas and 80 per cent are for poor families. A network of world class highways is being laid across the country at an estimated cost of Rs.55,000 crore. Similarly, the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana costing Rs.60,000 crore will link every village with an all-weather road in five years. The Prime Minister said these two road projects are generating jobs for lakhs of people.

The Prime Minister reminded those in high offices that the people expect equally high conduct from them and expressed his Government’s resolve not to compromise with corruption on any level. He also expressed the Government’s commitment to carry on electoral reforms. He said it is our firm resolve to keep criminal elements away from power. He said all our programmes will succeed and all our dreams for progress will come true only when we strictly adhere to probity and morality in public life.

The Prime Minister reminded the people of their own duties and responsibilities. The mindset of depending on the Government for every work has to change. He called upon the citizens and voluntary organizations to come forward for social work. Our aim is to make India a developed nation by 2020, free from the curse of poverty and unemployment. Our aim, he said, is to make India a developed nation by 2020, free from the curse of poverty and unemployment, he said.