Yesterday, President of India, Pranab Mukherjee addressed the Parliament and took them through the agenda and roadmap of what new Modi-led Government wants to achieve. The points presented were very similar to BJP’s manifesto.
What is really good to see is that Modi led Government wants clearly focus on economic reforms by introducing simplified tax structure, encourage Foreign Direct Investment and break the policy paralysis that has shrouded India over past 5 years.
The speech made by the President was peppered with signature phrases made by Narendra Modi during his election campaign, like “Ek Bharat – Shreshtha Bharat”, ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ and ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’
Here are the highlights of the speech.
- Reducing food inflation will be the top-most priority.
- Improvement in supply chain of Agricultural products and taking effective steps to prevent hoarding & black marketing.
- Contingency plans to be put in place for sub-normal monsoons.
- Improving the quality of life in our villages, through empowered Panchayati Raj institutions
- Reduction of rural-urban divide guided by the idea of Rurban. i.e: providing urban amenities to rural areas
- Increase investment in agriculture, both public and private in Agri-infrastructure.
- Introducing scientific practices & technology in Agriculture to make it profitable.
- High priority will be given to water security & long pending irrigation projects will be completed
- Setting up Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and virtual classrooms for Youth led development
- Setting up IITs and IIMs in every state
- Will facilitate development and promotion of Indian sports by introducing “National Sports Talent Search System”
- Will formulate and roll out New Health Policy and a National Health Assurance Mission
- “Swachh Bharat Mission” will be launched to ensure hygiene, waste management and sanitation across the nation
- Tribal hamlets across India will be electrified and connected with all-weather roads
- Will give 33 percent reservation to women in the Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies.
- Will have zero tolerance against violence against women
- Special emphasis will be given on improving the intra-region connectivity and border infrastructure in the Northeast as well as in J&K.
- Priority will be given to tackle illegal immigration and infiltration in the NE region
- Stress will be given on putting in place transparent systems and time-bound delivery of government services to citizens.
- Efforts will be made to eliminate obsolete laws, regulations, administrative structures and practices.
- Wi-Fi zones will be put up in critical public areas in the next five years.
- Social Media will be used as a tool for participative governance, directly engaging the people in policy making and administration.
- Will roll out broadband highways in every village in next five years
- Will give priority to unearth black money stashed abroad
- Will modernize the courts to improve their operational efficiency and reform criminal justice system to make it simpler, quicker and more effective
- Provide predictable, fair and stable policy environment
- Make every effort to introduce GST (Goods & Services Tax)
- Encourage FDI in various sectors
- Reforms will be undertaken to enhance the ease of doing business.
- Will promote labour-intensive manufacturing,
- Job creation by promoting tourism and agro-based industries.
- Move towards a single-window system of clearances for both, at the Centre and at the States
- Will set up a task force to review and revive our MSME sector.
- fast-track investment friendly public, private partnership
- Will liberalize FDI in defence
- Will encourage private investments in defence production
- Implement reforms in defence procurement
- Priority will be given to modernisation and revamp of Railways
- Introduction of infrastructure development programmes for high-speed rails, roads and airports
- Will build 100 Cities focused on specialized domains and equipped with world class amenities.
- Will launch a national mission “e-Bhasha”that will develop digital vernacular content
- Launch comprehensive National Energy Policy
- Priority & focus on increasing electricity generation
- Attract private investments by bringing in reforms coal sector
- Operationalize international civilian nuclear pacts
- Every family will have a pucca house with water connection, toilet facilities, 24×7 electricity supply and access.
- Zero tolerance towards extremism, terrorism and communal violence
- Formulate clear rules for allocation of coal, minerals and telecoms spectrum
- Engaging energetically with neighbours, including China
- Bring renewed vigour in its engagement with the United States in all areas including trade, investment, science and technology, energy and education.
You can find the entire text of President’s speech here.