The President
of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam inaugurated the two-day Conference
of Governors at Rashtrapati Bhavan here today. Twenty-eight Governors
and three Lt. Governors of the States and Union Territories are
attending the Conference. The Vice-President Shri Bhairon Singh
Shekhawat, the Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Deputy
Prime Minister Shri L.K. Advani, the Deputy Chairman of the Planning
Commission and Union Ministers of Defence, External Affairs, Human
Resource Development, Disinvestment, Agriculture, Water
Resources, Youth Affairs and Sports are also participating.
In
his opening address the President said every state should aspire
to become economically developed with peace and prosperity. If
all the states develop then only could the nation develop. Dr.
Kalam emphasized that Governors were noble healers who could play
an important role in the country’s goal of achieving the status
of a developed nation. The role of the Governor would be to promote
this national vision at every opportunity. He said Governors were
best suited to provide sage advice to the people and the government,
being statesmen and having vast experience.
Each
Governor, he said had a responsibility in providing partnership
for the State administration to succeed. The President said we
had to collectively fight and eliminate communal differences and
insurgency.
Touching
on the need for mission-oriented approach for networking of rivers,
the President said that was vital to manage the flood – drought
conditions that repeat themselves in some parts of the country.
A prime ingredient of this task would be imparting the requisite
thrust to the networking of the river systems to transfer water
from surplus basins to areas of deficit. To offset this regional
hydro-imbalance, the need of the hour was to have a water mission
which will enable widespread availability of water without compromising
on environmental safety or unleashing mindless appropriation of
the earth’s bounty, he added.
During the study of such mega
projects Dr. Kalam said, it would be natural that there would
be extreme and different views on various issues. In this situation
the Governors could play a salutary role in creating a climate
of consensus amongst the States to facilitate the linking of the
river-system for the overall good of the nation.
Dr.
Kalam said the nation was progressively mowing from the information
society towards a knowledge society. Irrespective of rural or
urban area, distance will be shortened using information technology,
he emphasized. In such a situation, he said, electronic connectivity
should emerge between the State Governments, Raj Bhavans, Central
Ministries, the Prime Minister’s Office and Rashtrapati Bhavan
for a fully committed transparent administration. He requested
the Governors to help in bringing about such a change in their
offices and state government administration.
Initiating
the discussions, the doyen of Governors, the Governor of Meghalaya,
Shri M.M. Jacob called for Integration Council at the State level
so that constant monitoring of the communal situation and related
problems could be done. Governors of other North Eastern States
called for up-gradation of police infrastructure and technology
so that the problems of insurgency could be tackled more effectively
and in an integrated manner. They also called for more central
assistance in tackling such situations and also for finding means
to check illegal immigration into their states.
The
Governors also called for economic and developmental measures
to upgrade the life of the people and for greater road, rail and
air connectivity between various areas in their states.
