President Pratibha Patil on Friday stressed on the need to make the developmental process more equitable by taking fruits of growth to the section of society where they have not reached.

“India is growing at a rapid pace but we need to make our developmental process equitable. There are large sections of our society, especially in rural areas and even in certain areas in urban centre where the fruits of growth have not reached,’’ the President said after inaugurating the 150 year celebrations of the Young Men Christian’s Association (YMCA) here.

Ms Patil said development should be seen as a joint task of the Government and society at large. “Government efforts need to be supported by voluntary agencies and civil society,” she said.

“They can work with the Government, in the social sectors and with the less privileged sections of society as well as in the less developed areas of the country, to take India forward on the path to overall progress,’’ she added.
In this context the words of Swami Vivekananda “go from village to village, do good to humanity and to the world at large’’.

Lauding efforts by the YMCA in rendering community service Patil said, “community service is essential for the building of better societies. It requires a spirit to work, not only for one’s own sake, but also for welfare of others.”

Individuals and organisations involved in rendering social service should work selflessly for the betterment of society and should motivate the youth to do the same”.

The President said the motto of NGOs should not merely be to give crutches to the less privileged in the society but also to make them independent, with capacities and skills that enable them to participate confidently in all activities of life.