PM's address to gov

2/17/2014 Print Release

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=103705 1/4

Press Information Bureau Government of India

Prime Minister's Office 15-February-2014 14:57 IST

Prime Minister’s speech at the Governors’ Conference

Following is the text of the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh’s address at the Governor’s Conference

at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on February 14, 2014:

“Let me begin by saying that I would have liked to attend a greater part of this conference but the ongoing

session of Parliament and some other urgent matters have not permitted me to do so. However, my office

has followed the proceedings over the last two days and we will carefully examine the suggestions that

have been made. As I have stated earlier also, we value the advice of Governors. We believe that apart

from being men and women of vast knowledge and rich experience, Governors also are in a unique

position where they can watch and analyze the work of their State Governments closely and yetdispassionately.

I am sure that the discussions that have taken place have also been of great benefit to the participating

Governors. I understand that eight of my Cabinet colleagues have made presentations in this conference on

important issues like the state of the economy, role of Governors, security, and external relations. Theseshould have helped the participating Governors in gaining a better appreciation of these matters and also a

national perspective on certain significant issues. I do not think I can add very much to what my Cabinet

colleagues must have already said on matters that are on the agenda. I will, therefore, confine myself to

emphasizing upon certain broad themes that I consider important.

Our economy, after many years of rapid growth, has slowed down in the last two years. Inflation,weakening of the Indian rupee and other domestic and external factors have all contributed to this state of

affairs. However, we have reasons to be optimistic about the future. There are signs of revival of economicgrowth on account of the several measures that our Government has taken. A good monsoon has also

helped us in our efforts. It is expected that the growth rate of our economy will cross 5 per cent during thecurrent fiscal when the final figures are released. We expect that the reforms that we have undertaken will

help in increasing the growth rate further in subsequent years.

As far as internal security is concerned, the overall situation in the country showed distinct signs of

improvement in 2013, including in Jammu and Kashmir, the North East and Left Wing Extremism affected

areas. Our policy of engaging in talks with outfits which are willing to abjure the path of violence and ready

to seek solutions within the framework of our Constitution has yielded rich dividends in the North East.

The two-pronged approach of conducting proactive and sustained operations against Left Wing Extremists

and focusing attention on development and governance issues in Left Wing Extremist affected areas hasalso shown encouraging results. The measures that we have taken to contain and fight Left Wing

Extremism include the Integrated Action Plan for 88 select and backward districts, most of which are

affected by Left Wing Extremism, improvement of road and telecom connectivity, streamlining the process

of vesting of forests rights under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest

Rights) Act, strengthening of police stations, raising of specialized forces and deployment of additional

central forces. We need to persist and intensify these efforts. We also need to ensure greater coordination

between the Centre and States as well as between States, as this is critical to the success of our efforts.



Our Government has taken several steps to deal with the threat of terrorism also. These include amendingthe Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, augmenting the strength of the Central Armed Police Forces,

strengthening the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) and the Subsidiary Multi Agency Centre (SMAC), creating

four new hubs of the National Security Guard, strengthening coastal security, setting up the National

Investigation Agency and creation of the NATGRID. Incidents of terrorist violence have come down

during 2013. The past year has seen major successes in the fight against terrorist forces with the arrest of

some of the most wanted terrorists.

Before proceeding further, I would like to mention three other issues which are a cause of concern to all of

us. The first is the increase in incidents of communal disturbance in the past year, especially in some States.

All State Governments should do their utmost in reversing this situation. It is necessary for the State

Governments, and also the Central Government, to do everything in their power to prevent communaldisturbances. It is also essential to ensure that the guilty are punished and responsibility for lapses fixed

once communal disturbances occur. Governors should take special interest in promoting communal

harmony.

The second issue relates to the status of women in our society and country, particularly the incidents ofviolence against them. Our Government has taken several steps to address this issue. These include the

Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2013 to provide for speedy justice and enhanced punishment in cases ofsexual assault against women, administrative measures to enhance the safety and security of women,

particularly in public places and a new law to prevent and punish sexual harassment of women at theworkplace. However, we, as a society need to do much more in this area. I would urge all Governors to

press upon the State Governments to give enhanced attention to issues relating to women.

The third issue relates to recurring incidents of intolerance and prejudice in some parts of the countryagainst people who have come from other States to live there. Recently, our Capital city was witness to

one such incident in which a student belonging to the North Eastern region lost his life to senselessviolence. Such incidents cannot be tolerated in any civilized society and those who are responsible forthem should be dealt with firmly. It is imperative that we work collectively towards ensuring that all our

citizens, irrespective of where they belong to, feel safe, secure and welcome in all parts of the country. Onthe specific issue of the problems being faced by our brothers and sisters from the North East, our

Government has recently constituted a committee which will look into the issue and suggest remedialmeasures.

In so far as external security is concerned, we are committed to fostering good relations and peaceful

coexistence with our neighbors. However, we are also aware of the external dimensions of threats to oursecurity and remain resolute in our efforts to counter any such threat. In this connection, I would like to

mention that despite a slight increase in infiltration attempts in Jammu & Kashmir this year, vigilance andprompt action on part of our Armed forces have ensured that the number of successful infiltration attemptshave been lower as compared to previous years.

To address the internal and external threats to our security, we are constantly strengthening the capabilities

of our Armed and Police forces. We are also implementing a number of programmes to develop criticalinfrastructure facilities in border areas.

We must recognize that deprivation and poverty are significant contributing factors to rising discontent in

the backward and poor districts of our country, many of which lie in Scheduled Areas. We therefore needto urgently address the widening economic, income and developmental disparities between citizens living in

such areas and those in more developed parts of the country. Under the Constitutional scheme of affairs,



Governors have been given a special responsibility for the administration and speedy development of theScheduled Areas. The role of these Constitutional arrangements in addressing the longstanding demands

and aspirations of our tribal countrymen, cannot be over emphasized. In the Sixth Schedule areas of theNorth East, the process of regular elections, and greater devolution of funds and functions, has

strengthened the Tribal Councils. In the Fifth Schedule areas, the Panchayats (Extension to ScheduledAreas) Act (PESA) has led to greater involvement of the population in local governance as well as control

over community resources. The vesting of forest rights under the Scheduled Tribes and Other ForestDwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act has substantially empowered our tribal brothers and sisters.

However, we need to do much more to ensure the implementation of these significant legislations in letterand spirit, including in devolution of funds, functions and functionaries to local self governance institutions in

Scheduled areas, ensuring compliance of State subject laws, rules and instruction with PESA provisions,and ensuring the completion of the process of vesting of forest rights. I would request Governors tocontribute in full measure to the accomplishments of these tasks.

In the context of development of Sixth Schedule Areas, I would also like to emphasize that our

Government has been paying focused attention to the North East. As you may be aware, a large numberof projects aimed at accelerating the socio-economic development of the North East have been taken up,

particularly in the areas of rail, road, air and telecom connectivity. The North Eastern Council, of whichGovernors are also members, has played the important role of a regional planning body for the North

Eastern Region. The NER Vision Document 2020 prepared by the Council is a comprehensive roadmapfor the overall development and progress of the North Eastern Region. However, greater efforts are

required to enhance project management capacities in the North East and innovative solutions are neededto address the specific constraints prevailing in the region. The Government is seized of these issues and asyou may be aware an Empowered Group of Ministers and a Committee of Secretaries have been

constituted to explore ways and means of early resolution of long pending issues of the North EasternStates. We will carefully examine the suggestions made by Governors for improving coordination between

the Planning Commission, Ministry of DoNER and North Eastern Council.

One of the items on the agenda for this Conference relates to Disaster Management. As we all know, ournation is vulnerable to a large range of natural and man-made disasters. Also, the intensity and frequencyof extreme weather events is on the rise the world over. Events like earthquakes, floods, droughts,

cyclones, landslides and industrial disasters have caused a great deal of distress and suffering misery and

suffering in our country. We have recently witnessed two major disasters in our country – the tragedy inUttarakhand and cyclone Phailin which impacted Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Our country has made

substantial progress in the areas of disaster preparedness and development of adequate disaster response

mechanisms subsequent to the coming into force of the Disaster Management Act of 2005. The steps that

have been taken include the establishment of the National Disaster Management Authority and State andDistrict Disaster Management Authorities in most States, the establishment of the National Institute of

Disaster Management and the National Disaster Response Force at the national level and State Disaster

Response Forces in some States and Union Territories and institutionalized funding mechanisms for

disaster management in the form of the National and State Disaster Response Funds. Our wellcoordinated response to the recent cyclone in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh has proved that we have made

substantial progress in the area of disaster management in recent years. It also underscores the importance

of close engagement and coordination between various agencies of the Central Government, the StateGovernment and District authorities in dealing with disasters.

It is well recognized that disasters impact poor and marginalized people in a disproportionate manner. It is

therefore imperative that we further improve our disaster management capabilities. Money spent ondisaster preparedness results in saving of expenditure on post-disaster relief, rehabilitation and



reconstruction measures. Therefore, we need to make conscious efforts to make Disaster Risk Reduction

an intrinsic part of our development processes and intensify activities related to disaster prevention,

mitigation and preparedness.

This Conference has also seen discussions on issues relating to Higher Education. This is a subject that

Respected Rashtrapati ji has taken keen interest in. The subject was also discussed very recently in ameeting of Vice Chancellors that was convened by Rashtrapati ji. Therefore, I would confine myself to

stressing upon a few broad points. We have made considerable progress in the area of Higher Education

in the past ten years or so. We have established several new institutions of Higher Education and also

taken measures to expand access for the weaker sections of society. These steps have shown positiveresults, with the Gross Enrolment Ratio having improved substantially in the last ten years. Now we must

especially address the deficit in quality that a large part of our Higher Education System suffers from. I

would urge Governors to especially help in addressing this issue, even as they give their attention to other

matters also, as Chancellors of State Universities. I would urge Governors to take special interest ineducation of women and children of minority communities and other disadvantaged sections of society.

A few words on India’s external relations. In an increasingly integrated and inter-dependent world, theexternal environment has a profound impact on India's security and economic development. Developments

in our neighborhood are of particular significance to us, especially to States in the border regions.

Our external environment is complex and marked by economic uncertainties, political turbulence andmultiple security challenges. Despite this, we have intensified our engagement with the world, especially our

neighborhood, to pursue our primary objective of national economic transformation and creating a secure,

peaceful and stable external environment.

We have ensured for ourselves an effective voice in international and regional affairs. We have also built

strong strategic partnerships with all major global players. The adjustment of the global nuclear order, our

increased access to high technology, wide-ranging global support for India's permanent membership ofreformed United Nations Security Council; new economic partnership agreements and the safeguarding of

our interests in trade and climate change negotiations are significant achievements of our government. In all

these efforts, our goal has been to realize our vision of a strong prosperous and secure India.

Let me end by thanking Respected Rashtrapati ji for having organized this conference. We have been all

benefitting from the various initiatives that he has taken and we look forward to his continued guidance. I

also wish Governors all the very best in their efforts for the progress and development of their States and

the country.”

* * * * *

SC

Documents

PM's address to gov