Follow true ideals of justice: Patil

“We are duty bound to pass this rich inheritance to our younger generation––the 540 million youth”, the President added. The President said key importance should be given to empowerment through education for all “which opens the door of opportunity.”

She said though the future of the country holds great potential and promise, there are may issues demanding attention, the foremost being “the welfare of all.”

The Right to Education Act has made free and compulsory primary education a fundamental right for children. It is important that secondary education is also universalised, as we seek to increase enrolment levels in higher education and this will provide the “brain power” for the nation, Patil said.

The President said the task will be complete only when no one sleeps on a hungry stomach, no one sleeps on the footpath and every child is in school.

“Therefore, fittingly, education, capacity building, housing, healthcare and nutrition are a priority on the agenda of the Government. It is a huge task to be achieved for a billion plus population, but we should not be overwhelmed. In every village and in every colony of every town, city or metropolis, people can come forward to form groups to work for the disadvantaged”, the President said..

She asked for speeding up construction of new roads, ports, airports, power projects as well as reinforcement of the existing facilities. The augmentation will fill the infrastructural deficit that impedes overall economic growth and is, in many ways, out of sync with our image of an emerging global player, the President said. Linking industry with agriculture would provide a basis for the growth of the industry in rural areas and also promote agriculture business, she said.