& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Outstanding issues with Dhaka to be resolved

Indian president talks of greater regional cooperation

Pallab Bhattacharya, New Delhi
Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam yesterday emphasised that his country would seek to resolve all outstanding issues with Bangladesh that he described as an important neighbour.
The priority will be given to building closer political and economic ties with neighbouring countries in South Asia and strengthening Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation), Kalam told the first joint session of the upper and lower houses of parliament since the stunning victory of Congress in general elections.
"Particular attention will be paid to regional projects relating to water resources, power and ecological conservation," he said.
Kalam mentioned the rivers interlinking project and said: "The environmental, ecological and
techno-economic feasibility of linking the rivers of the country will be carefully examined."
"Dialogue with Pakistan on all outstanding issues will be pursued on a sustained basis within the framework of the Shimla Agreement and all subsequent agreements between the two governments including the Joint Statement of January 6, 2004," the president said.
The Joint Statement was signed when the then prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee travelled to Islamabadforthe Saarc summit.
India, he said in his 50-minute speech, supported the peace initiative in Sri Lanka "for a life full of dignity and self-respect and meets the legitimate aspirations of all linguistic and religious minorities while respecting the territorial integrity and solidarity of Sri Lanka."
Underscoring that the outcome of parliamentary elections in India was indicative of "people's rejection of the forces of divisiveness and intolerance," Kalam raised the issue of "most gruesome" riots in Gujarat.
"It is a matter of serious concern that the forces of communalism have been able to vitiate the atmosphere in the country leading to outbreak of riots, the most gruesome face of which was witnessed recently in Gujarat," he said without naming any party or outfit.
Gujarat is ruled by Bharatiya Janata Party whose federal coalition government was voted out of power in the elections.
Pointing out that the verdict of recent general elections is "for establishing the rule of law and repairing our secular fabric," the president said.
He said the government is determined to combat communal forces and would adopt all measures to promote and maintain communal peace and harmony so that minorities feel completely secure.
Kalam also said the government would enact a "model law to deal with communal violence and encourage states to adopt it".
"My government is committed to preserving, protecting and promoting secular values and enforcing the law without fear or favour to deal with all obscurantist and fundamentalist elements that seek to disturb social amity and peace," he said.
The government would examine the question of giving constitutional status to the Minorities Commi-ssion, would strive for recognition and promotion of Urdu language and set up a commission to look into direct affiliation of minority professional institutions with central universities, Kalam said.
He also promised the government would take steps to spread modern and technical education among minority communities.
Referring to Jammu and Kashmir, Kalam said the government would uphold the state's special constitutional status and hold sustained dialogue with all groups and different shades of opinion there in consultation with the democratically-elected state government. The state will be given assistance to rebuild its infrastructure quickly, he added.
He said the government was determined to tackle terrorism, militancy and insurgency in the northeastern states of India as a matter of urgent national priority
antithe states will be given special assistance to upgrade and expand their infrastructure.
Referring to education, the president said steps would be taken to "remove the communali-sation of the school syllabus that has taken place in recent years".
Professional competence will be the sole criteria for appointment to prestigious institutions like Indian Council for Historical Research, Indian Council for Social Science Research and National Council for Educational Research and Training, he said.
The Congress and the Left parties in the past accused the previous BJP-led government of communalising education and appointments to leading research institutions.
The president unveiled the economic agenda of the Congress-led government saying pace of rural development would be accelerated, public investment in agriculture would be stepped up significantly to substantially boost farmers' income and a substantial portion of government investment would be channelled to villages.
Kalam talked about speeding up economic reforms but said, "These reforms will have a human face and will ensure that the benefits flowing from such reforms reach the urban poor and rural areas where the vast majority of our population lives."
He said the government would ensure that the economic maintains a growth rate of at least seven to eight percent every year for a sustained period and in a manner that generates employment.
The debate on the motion of thanks on the president's speech begins today.