New Delhi: Asking Maoists to abandon the
path of violence, President Pratibha Patil on Saturday said they
must come to the negotiating table for working out a solution.
Addressing the nation on the eve of 64th Independence
Day, she also said terrorism poses the biggest threat to
global peace and to defeat it all nations should come together
and ensure that terrorists do not get sanctuaries and
financial assistance.
"The proponents of extreme ideologies and the followers
of Left Wing Extremism must abandon their path of violence. I
call on them to join national efforts for growth and
development," she said in the address telecast on national
television.
Maintaining that protracted development efforts will be
required in the Naxal-affected areas, Patil hoped that
everybody, including the civil society, will come forward and
move the left wing extremists in this direction.
The President said nation-building demands the ability to
work diligently and patiently, where the reward is the growth
of the nation rather than personal promotion and it requires
unity of purpose and the ability to focus on issues which
unite.
"It requires a spirit of conciliation. This is possible
when dialogue is chosen as the channel for communication. By
listening to each other, respecting each other`s viewpoint and
understanding one another, we can address issues before us,"
she said.
Terming terrorism as the biggest threat to global peace,
stability and security, the President said peace was
essential, if prosperity was to be achieved and to defeat
terror, all nations of the world must work collectively.
"...so that terrorists have no sanctuaries, no training
grounds, no access to financial resources, no infrastructural
support, and no defenders of their ideology," she said.
Patil said powers have been given to those in government
for formulating policies and for implementation on the field
and it should always be remembered that this power must be
used in a responsible manner.
"Zero tolerance towards corruption and working with the
highest standards of public service will definitely result in
efficient governance systems and will have a multiplier effect
on development and growth," she said.
The President said everyone must be law abiding and also
work for moral uplift as there has been an increasing emphasis
on materialism and growing insensitivity towards each other.
"Strong family bonds are weakening. Social consciousness
is on the decline. Some social evils persist. This must
change. Today is the best opportunity when ground-breaking
achievements alongwith a moral and ethical renaissance can
take place," she said.
Patil said India is at a historic phase when the world
is shifting course and it is impacting the country`s economy,
polity, trade, commerce, education and pace of life.
"In this era of transformation, India definitely cannot
lag behind. Our entire effort must be to ensure that there is
overall development in which all people prosper," she said.
The President said India`s credentials as the world`s
largest democracy have been further reinforced with the
deepening of democracy at all levels.
"We have elected bodies existing from the national to
the grassroot level. Democracy has given citizens the right to
participate in the affairs of the nation. It has become a way
of life in India," she said.
Patil said, on the economic front, the country is ranked
as the world`s fourth largest economy based on purchasing
power parity and is one of the fastest growing.
"The resilience of our economy was evident during the
global financial crisis which we weathered, better than many
other countries. The future holds great potential and promise.
However, many issues demand attention and the way we address
them is important," she said.
The President said it must be everyone`s endeavour to
ensure the welfare of all and it was for this reason that
India has adopted inclusive growth as a pillar of its economic
edifice and was pro-actively pursuing it.
"Our task will be complete only when no one sleeps on a
hungry stomach, when no one sleeps on the footpath and when
every child is in school. Therefore, fittingly, education,
capacity building, housing, healthcare and nutrition are a
priority on the agenda of the government," she said.
PTI
