New Delhi, Jan 12: President A P J Abdul Kalam today said 2003 should be the "year of action" for achieving the goal of developed India by 2020 and that this required the participation of all concerned. Speaking on "transforming India into a developed country by 2020", on the concluding day of the two-day governors conference at Rashtrapati Bhavan, he said for India to be a developed country by 2020, there was need for involvement of all concerned specially the governors. He outlined his talk with a computerised show explaining various aspects which needed to be focussed upon for the country to become a developed nation. In his address, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said his government was committed to making India a developed country by 2020 and concurred with the opinion of the president that all the people should actively participate in reaching this goal.

Vajpayee said the deliberations at the conference were meaningful as it enabled the government to know about the developmental works being carried out in states and also provided a forum for exchange of views on various issues. Among those who participated in the conference were Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission K C Pant and several Union ministers.
The 28 governors and three Lt Governors suggested measures to take India towards the goal of becoming a developed country by 2020 which formed the agenda for discussion.