Manmohan Singh

Decision on Maharashtra leadership likely by Wednesday

sitansu — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:40:42 +0530

A decision on the Maharashtra leadership issue is likely by Wednesday.

The discussions on the matter would gain momentum only after Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, who has offered to resign in the wake of Mumbai terror attacks, arrives in New Delhi on Tuesday.

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and Congress leader A K Antony are expected to have discussions tomorrow on the issue of successor to Deshmukh and the NCP has dismissed reports that it was against making AICC general secretary Prithviraj Chavan as the next chief minister.

"We are not against any one and our only expectation is that the leader should be decided after consulting us as it is a coalition government," union minister and NCP leader Praful Patel said.

Patel had talks with Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi today on the issue.

Besides Chavan, Union Minister Sushilkumar Shinde is a strong contender for the top post in Maharashtra.

On the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil, Patel said, "There was a serious lapse and it was a collective responsibility and hence Patil resigned."

Asked whether there was need for ensuring accountability of some others including the National Security Advisor, he said, "Whoever are responsible should do serious introspection."

The NCP has convened a meeting of its Maharashtra Legislature Party tomorrow in Mumbai to elect a leader following Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil's resignation in the wake of terror strikes in the western metropolis.

Names of Chagan Bhujbal, Jayant Patil and Delip Walse Patil are doing rounds to fill the slot vacated by Patil.

Also Read:
Political heads roll in terror aftermath
Shinde appears to emerge frontrunner to succeed Deshmukh

Mumbai attacks likely to cast shadow on Indo-Pak ties

sitansu — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:03:31 +0530

The deadly terror strikes in Mumbai is likely to cast a shadow on the ongoing Indo-Pak peace process and composite dialogue, with the government coming under immense pressure to act tough with Pakistan in view of the continued terrorism emanating from there.

The leadership of the UPA government, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is very upset as it feels that Pakistan has not kept its promise made at the highest level to end terrorism directed at India, sources said on Monday.

With the opposition also upping its ante and demanding a strong message to be sent to Pakistan, the government is weighing options by which it could be at least seen as acting, sources said.

There is a view in the government that India should suspend the peace process and composite dialogue to show that it is not going to take lightly the deadly carnage in Mumbai, which comes four months after a similar attack on its Embassy in Kabul that had almost led to suspension of the talks process.

A series of high-level meetings at political and official levels will be taking place in the coming few days to decide what to do, the sources said.

Like the Kabul embassy attack, Mumbai terror strikes are also suspected to have been carried out by "elements" based in Pakistan.

After the Kabul attacks, the Indian establishment was outraged and made it clear that the composite dialogue could not go on if violence continued.

The Prime Minister gave a strong message to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari when they met in New York in September and the latter promised to take steps to end cross-border terrorism, a commitment which led to cooling down of tempers.

"With the Mumbai blasts also having Pakistani linkages, it appears the government in Islamabad is not doing enough to curb cross-border terrorism emanating from that country. This is a serious concern for India," a source said.

India is also expected to apprise the United States next week about the details of the Mumbai attacks, for which the terrorists had apparently come from Karachi via the sea.

Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, who is travelling to Washington next week, will meet his counterpart Under Secretary William Burns during which the issue of Mumbai attacks is expected to come up.

The mood in the government was evident when the Prime Minister addressed the nation on Thursday and asserted that India will not tolerate when its "neighbours" continue to allow their territories to be used for terrorism against this country.

Singh did not name any country but he made the statement within hours of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee saying preliminary investigations showed that "elements" based in Pakistan are involved in the Mumbai attacks.

Cong not politicising terror: Manmohan

tejas — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:23:16 +0530

Emphasising that Congress is not into "politicising" terror, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday sought cooperation of all political parties in fighting the "serious problem" of terrorism.

Addressing an election rally in Hanumangarh, the Prime Minister asked countrymen to rise above religious and linguistic differences to fight the menace.

"I want to tell you that Congress will not indulge in politicising of terrorism. I wish all parties should join hands to help fight terrorism," Singh said.

Noting that terrorism is a "serious problem" faced by the country, he said this was the time for the country to think above religious, linguistic and regional differences.

"This is the time to prove that no matter whichever state we are from, whichever religion we belong to, whatever is our language and whatever our customs and practices, we are first Hindustanis," the Prime Minister said.

Govt devises crucial measures to counter terrorism

megha — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:23:23 +0530

Under severe attack in the wake of Mumbai terror strikes, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared on Sunday night that legal framework will be strengthened in the battle against terrorism and a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) will be set up, even as the Left parties cautioned against enactment of "draconian" laws.

In an apparent demand for the removal of National Security Adviser M K Narayanan, CPI leader A B Bardhan said those in-charge of national security must also be made accountable like the Home Minister who was made to resign.

After a marathon five-hour-long discussions at an all party meeting convened by him to discuss the Mumbai terror strikes that left nearly 200 persons dead, the prime minister said the country stands united in fighting terrorism and legal framework would be strengthened in this regard.

"We will pursue the setting up of a Federal Investigating Agency within a time-frame," he said in his concluding remarks promising the parties that the government would get back to them within a fortnight.

When the BJP and AIADMK insisted on stringent laws like POTA to tackle terrorism, the new Home Minister P Chidambaram said the prime minister has already referred to strengthening the legal framework.

However, Left parties opposed any "draconian" measures like POTA but were open to suggestions for strengthening provisions in the existing laws to combat terror.

The government also came under attack from ally Samajwadi party whose chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said the ruling dispensation was weak and must own up responsibility. "Come out with something concrete within 15 days," Yadav told the government.

Beefing security

In his opening remarks, the prime minister said the government has decided to strengthen air and maritime security and create four NSG hubs in various parts of the country.

Strengthening and augmentation of special counter-terrorism forces like the NSG would be done expeditiously and a legal framework will be formulated, he said.

Sharing the country's "anger and outrage" over the Mumbai attacks, he appealed to parties to rise above political considerations to meet the challenge unitedly.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, External Affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee said political parties unequivocally condemned the dastardly terrorist attack and expressed heartfelt sorrow and condolences to the innocent victims and paid homage to the brave security forces.

On various measures to be taken by the government, he said the scourge of terrorism will be fought with total determination and all means and measures to fight this menace would be made available.

Intelligence agencies will be tasked to provide specific pinpointed and actionable intelligence and creation of a new mechanism for establishing greater coordination among agencies of the Centre and states.

CPI leader A B Bardhan cautioned the government against any military misadventure agaisnt Pakistan. Parties felt that the government in Islamabad was weak but Indian action should not lead to strengthening fundamentalist forces like Taliban.

Govt to set up Federal Investigation Agency, beef up security

wali — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:52:40 +0530

In the wake of Mumbai terror attacks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday said the government has decided to set up a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), strengthen air and maritime security and create four NSG hubs in various parts of the country.

Sharing the country's "anger and outrage" over the Mumbai attacks, he appealed to parties to rise above political considerations to meet the challenge unitedly.

"Terrorists and enemies of our nation must know that their actions unite rather than divide us," he said in his opening remarks at the all party meeting convened by him to discuss the situation arising out of the terror strikes.

Describing the attacks as "different" from the previous terror strikes, Singh said "in the face of this national threat and in the aftermath of this national tragedy, all of us from different political parties must rise above narrow political considerations and stand united.

"We should work together in the interest of the country at this critical juncture," he said.

He said the parties should build a consensus on what needs to be done to strengthen the ability of the system to meet these threats.

"The terrorists and enemies of our nation must know that their actions unite rather than divide us," the Prime Minister said at the meeting from which Leader of the Opposition LK Advani, BJP President Rajnath Singh and Shiv Sena stayed away.

He hoped that the political parties would be able to give a collective assurance to the nation that, across the political spectrum, "we stand together at this hour."

Maintaining that the government shared the hurt of the people and their sense of anger and outrage, Singh said several measures are already in place to deal with the situation.

"But clearly much more needs to be done and we are determined to take all necessary measures to overhaul the system," he said.

"We have finalised a set of legal measures based on the recommendations of the Administrative Reforms Commission which includes the setting up of a FIA," Singh said.

Maritime security

The Prime Minister said the government would further strengthen maritime and air security for which measures have been initiated. This will involve the Navy, the Coast Guard and the coastal police, as well as the Air Force and the Civil Aviation Ministry.

"The anti-terrorist forces of the country will be further strengthened and streamlined. The National Security Guard, which is the principal anti-terrorist force of the country, will be given additional facilities and the size of the force is being augmented," he said.

Steps have also been initiated to establish another four NSG hubs in different parts of the country.

Additionally, the special forces at the disposal of the Centre would be appropriately utilised in counter insurgency operations.

The Prime Minister said the country has had terrorist attacks in the past too.

"But this attack was different. It was an attack by highly trained and well-armed terrorists targeting our largest city. They came with the explicit aim of killing large numbers of innocent civilians, including foreign visitors. They sought to destroy some of the best known symbols of our commercial capital," he said.

He said the ordeal at Mumbai, which occupied the attention of the entire nation, has finally come to an end.

"All of us share the grief of those who have lost their loved ones in this dastardly and brutal attack and also the pain and anguish of those grievously wounded.

"We cannot lessen their grief. But we will do all we can to alleviate their suffering. I give you my solemn assurance that we will look after the needs of those who survive this horrible tragedy," Singh said.

"We salute the bravery of our security forces who fought the terrorists in exceptionally difficult circumstances. They tried their utmost to save innocent lives at great personal risk.

"Twenty officers and men made the ultimate sacrifice by laying down their lives. The entire nation owes a debt of gratitude to these men that we can never repay, the Prime Minister said.

PM calls all-party meet; discussion on anti-terror law likely

wali — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:45:01 +0530

After the shocking Mumbai terror strikes, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has convened an all-party meeting on Sunday in an apparent move to evolve a consensus on a tougher anti-terror law and a federal agency.

The refrain in the Congress and some of its allies is that there was an urgent need for a unanimity among political parties to take terrorism head-on through appropriate laws and structures.

Singh had already emphasised the immediate need to set up a Federal Investigation Agency to go after terrorist crimes like the one in Mumbai and ensure that the guilty are brought to book.

The Prime Minister had asserted that "the strongest possible measures" would be taken in the fight against terror including the use of the National Security Act (NSA).

While the NSA would be invoked to deal with situations of this kind, the existing laws would be tightened to ensure that there were no loopholes available to terrorists to escape the clutches of the law, he had said.

The meeting has come at a time when the Opposition was targeting the Congress-led coalition at the Centre for not being serious about tackling terror.

"The government's non-serious approach is reinforced by reports that the Mumbai attackers arrived in the city by the sea route," Senior BJP leader L K Advani has said as his party has gone to town attacking the Congress for being "soft" on terror.

Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has also stressed on the need to strengthen the federal structure of the country and developing some joint mechanism by states and the Centre to tackle terrorism.

"After 9/11, no such terrorist attack took place in the USA even after seven years. We need to take lessons from them," he said.

Asserting that there is an exigency to bring reforms in the country's federal structure, Paswan said, "Here states pass the buck on to the Centre whenever a terrorist strike happens while they strongly object to any interference by the Centre in law and order issues."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held a meeting with the chiefs of defence services and intelligence agencies today to discuss the unprecedented attacks and ways to prevent such recurrences.

Prior to this, Home Minister Shivraj Patil also held a meeting with top officials of various forces and agencies, in which a decision was taken to step up security measures along the coastline.

The all-party meeting is being held a day after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) would discuss the issue threadbare.

Govt to invoke NSA, set up Federal body to fight terror: PM

wali — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:41:40 +0530

Shocked by the attacks in Mumbai, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said the government would invoke the National Security Act, set up a Federal Investigation Agency and tighten the laws to deal with terrorism effectively.

Addressing the nation in an extraordinary step, he said the terrorist group responsible for the carnage in Mumbai was "based outside the country" and promised to choke the infiltration lines and funds to ensure that such elements pay a "heavy price" for such "cowardly and horrific" acts.

Talking tough, Singh said India will not tolerate the use of territories of its neighbours for launching attacks here and there would be a "cost" if suitable measures are not taken by them.

"It is evident that the group which carried out these attacks, based outside the country, had come with the single-minded determination to create havoc in the commercial capital of the country," he said referring to the Mumbai attacks.

India will take up "strongly with our neighbours that the use of their territory for launching attacks on us will not be tolerated and that there would be a cost if suitable measures are not taken by them", Singh said.

He asserted that "strongest possible measures" would be taken to deal with such elements, including the use of the National Security Act and setting up of a Federal Investigation Agency to prevent such incidents.

While the National Security Act would be used to deal with situations of this kind, existing laws would be tightened to ensure that there were no loopholes available to terrorists to escape the clutches of the law, he said.

"We are not prepared to countenance a situation in which the safety and security of our citizens can be violated with impunity by terrorists," the Prime Minister said.

"It is essential to immediately set up a Federal Investigation Agency to go into terrorist crimes of this kind and ensure that the guilty are brought to book," he said.

He said the government would take "a number of measures to strengthen the hands" of police and investigation authorities. "We will curb the flow of funds to suspect organisations. We will restrict the entry of suspects into the country," Singh said.

"We will go after these individuals and organizations and make sure that every perpetrator, organiser and supporter of terror, whatever his affiliation or religion may be, pays a heavy price for these cowardly and horrific acts against our people," he said.

He said police reforms would be attended to in an urgent and serious manner "so that the law and order authorities can work unitedly, effectively and in a determined manner to tackle such threats to national integrity."

On Mumbai attacks, he said the "well-planned and well-orchestrated attacks, probably with external linkages, were intended to create a sense of panic by choosing high-profile targets and indiscriminately killing foreigners."

Paying glowing tributes to the police officers and men who were killed in the attacks, he said "I salute the courage and patriotism of the police officers, including the Chief of the Anti-Terror Squad Hemant Karkare and men who have laid down their lives in fighting these terrorists."

He appealed to the people to maintain peace and harmony so that "the enemies of our country do not succeed in their nefarious designs."

Indian leaders condemn terror attacks in Mumbai

wali — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:44:07 +0530

President Pratibha Patil, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have strongly condemned the deadly terror attacks in Mumbai and asked people to maintain calm.

"Such acts are highly condemnable," the President, who is on a four-day visit to Vietnam, said in a statement from Hanoi on Thursday.

Patil asked people to cooperate with the authorities at this crucial moment.

“I condemn in the strongest form the terrorist attacks Mumbai. This mindless attack is the work of those who have no regard for human lives, and are pursuing a path of destruction. My heartfelt condolences to those who have been affected by this act of terror,” she said.

The Vice President said such terrorist acts were aimed at destabilising the nation and urged all citizens to unite in this critical hour.

Expressing deep shock at the scale of attacks in the heart of Mumbai, Ansari, who is on a visit to Arunachal Pradesh, expressed the resolve of the people to fight terrorism.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, while condemning the terror attacks on Wednesday night, assured all help to Maharashtra in meeting the situation.

The Prime Minister's Office said Singh was in touch with Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and was monitoring the situation.

Deshmukh also said that he was in touch with the central government which had assured all help to meet the "very serious" situation.

He said he had talked to Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who assured that the Centre would provide all the assistance required by Maharashtra.

"We are trying to control the situation," Deshmukh added.

Dubbing the terrorists as enemies of the country, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said terror attacks in Mumbai posed a challenge to the entire nation and would be met resolutely.

Condemning the terror strikes, she said that the attacks were not only a security issue but also a challenge to the nation's pride.

The country would unitedly defeat the challenge, Gandhi said.

BJP condemns attacks

Meanwhile, strongly condemning the terror attacks BJP appealed to all sections of society to sink in their differences and rise above "domestic polity" at this hour.

"This is an hour for all sections of society to sink their differences so that the nation must stand up as one body. We expect that the issue of terrorism is kept above the politics," the party said in a statement, after a high-level meeting chaired by senior party leader L K Advani at the party headquarters here.

It is time to sink the difference in domestic polity, it said.

"The BJP strongly condemns the multi-pronged attack that ravaged Mumbai. We stand-by and share the agony of the bereaved family and also pay homage to the security personnel who sacrificed their life to the call of duty," the statement said.

"Such a well-orchestrated attack could not have taken place without a long and large scale conspiracy, we hope that the political establishment, security agencies, and the country as a whole would draw the right lessons from the incident," senior party leader Arun Jaitley told reporters after the meeting.

We need to strengthen our intelligence network and have a strong legal and security mechanism to fight terror, he added.

"The priority now is to bring the seize to a close with the least amount of casualty. We believe that a high level inquiry would follow into the matter," the statement said.

Advani would be accompanying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Mumbai.

CPI-M speaks

The CPI-M said the Government should assure the people that concerted efforts are being made to tackle such activities.

"The multiple attacks that have led to the loss of hundreds of lives...targeting a railway station and hotels, bear the hallmark of a carefully planned terrorist strike," party politburo said in a statement.

The CPI-M said the country expects the government and security agencies to uncover the full scope of this nefarious attack and the forces behind it.

"Given the recurring and widespread pattern of terrorist attacks occurring in the country, the Centre has to assure people that concerted efforts are being made to tackle the problem," it said.

While expressing sympathy to all those who have lost their kith and kin, including police personnel, the politburo said "the loss of Hemant Karkare, the brave officer who was heading the Maharashtra ATS and other police officials is especially grievous".

"The entire nation expresses solidarity with the people of Mumbai in this difficult situation," the party said.

PM, Sonia, Rahul head to J&K for campaigning

tejas — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:00:56 +0530

Intensifying its campaign in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress will send Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, party chief Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul to woo voters in the remaining five phases of the ongoing elections.

Star campaigner Rahul Gandhi arrives in the state on Friday for meetings both in the Kashmir valley and in the Jammu region. The Lok Sabha MP, who will be campaigning here for the first time, will address his first meeting in Tangdhar in Karnah constituency of Kupwara district in the valley; he will later fly down to Udhampur.

"We have put up a strong candidate in Karnah (retired deputy commissioner Sheikh Yasin) and Rahul Gandhi's visit would be a great boost to him," said state Congress chief Saifuddin Soz.

Rahul's mother Sonia Gandhi arrives on December 3 to canvass for votes in Uri in the valley and in the mountain locked Doda district of Jammu region, added Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson Ravinder Sharma.

In the second week of December comes the prime minister to rally voters for the sixth and seventh phases.

Congress leaders say they are enthused by the large turnout of voters in the first two rounds of the seven phased elections that end Dec 24. The first two rounds saw voting percentages of above 60 percent.

According to them, the Amarnath land row that had put the Congress party and the government in the dock, resulting in the chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad resigning on July 7, was finding no resonance.

The two-month agitation over land being allotted for pilgrims to the Amarnath cave had ranged Hindu majority Jammu against Muslim dominated Kashmir.

Advani slams PM's 100-day roadmap to fight terror

tejas — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:11:14 +0530

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani on Monday slammed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's proposal for a task force to counter terrorism within a deadline of 100 days as "distressing" and demanded that the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) be revived instead.

"Manmohan Singh took over as prime minister in May 2004 and after so many days, he is talking about a 100-day roadmap," Advani said while addressing a press conference in Indore.

"This announcement of the prime minister is nothing but an acceptance of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government's failure to tackle terrorism," the BJP's prime ministerial candidate said.

The prime minister had Sunday recommended a task force under National Security Adviser M K Narayanan to address "Leftwing extremism, terrorism and insurgency".

Manmohan Singh put forth the proposal while addressing the director generals of police (DGPs) and inspector generals of police (IGPs) at their annual conference in New Delhi,

The task force under Narayanan, with suitable representation from central and state agencies, should draw a roadmap within 100 days to develop an integrated capability to address emerging challenges of Left-wing extremism, terrorism and insurgency, the prime minister said.

According to home ministry figures, the country has witnessed 64 bomb blasts in less than six months this year, which left more than 215 dead and over 900 injured.

PM calls for task force to deal with terror

megha — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 12:03:08 +0530

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday suggested setting up of a task force to initiate a 100-day plan to address "emerging challenges" in the areas of terrorism, naxalism and insurgency.

"I suggest establishment of a task force which would initiate a 100-day plan to develop an integrated capability to address emerging challenges in areas such as left wing extremism, terrorism and insurgency," Singh said addressing the conference of the country's top police officers in New Delhi.

The Prime Minister said one of the areas in which the task force would look into will be developing a net-centric information command structure that enables both state and central agencies to access and exploit information in a secure manner and well in time.

Singh said the task force could be headed by the National Security Advisor with proper representation from state and central agencies.

"In the period of 100 days, the task force should come up with a road-map regarding the detailed steps to be taken immediately and also subsequent steps to be taken over the next several months so as to translate this vision of an integrated net-centric capability into reality," he said.

The annual two-day Directors General and Inspectors General of Police Conference, organised by Intelligence Bureau is being attended by the chiefs of police from all states and Union Territories, para-military forces and security agencies.

On the focus areas of the task force, the Prime Minister said the group could suggest ways to improve the ability to anticipate and prevent surprises through closely networked intelligence collaboration and upgradation of both human and technological intelligence.

Singh also favoured strengthening of inter-state and inter-agency cooperation besides ensuring innovative and technological leadership.

Concerned over the communal violence reported from different parts of the country, the Prime Minister said such incidents were threatening the secular fabric of the country and they must be nipped in the bud.

Singh also said the inability of intelligence agencies and police to obtain pinpointed and actionable intelligence in time has enabled naxals to carry out high profile attacks.

The Prime Minister said globalisation has led to a blurring of the distinction between external and internal threats. "Globalisation of terror has made terrorism an all encompassing danger." he said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's speech at HT Leadership Summit

tejas — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:12:19 +0530

Following is the text of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's speech titled "Can India lead the way in the next century" at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in the capital on Friday:

"In the past four years your annual summit has repeatedly focused public attention on the challenges of development India is facing and the opportunities before us in the new century. Four years ago I said to you that one of the great experiments of the past century was the struggle of the Indian people to seek their social and economic salvation within the framework of a plural and liberal democracy. This will remain the great human experiment of the present 21st century as well.

I said then that the 'idea of unity in diversity' and the philosophical tradition that inspired it remain our great inheritance that we would like the entire world to embrace. The notion of cooperative pluralism and respect for diversity that is the basis of our democracy must also be the basis of global governance in the 21st century.

People seek well-being and sustainable livelihoods, but they also seek fundamental freedoms. People want jobs, people want education, people want housing and health care. But people also want open societies and open economies. People seek freedom from tyranny in all its manifestations. They wish to be governed by the rule of law. This has been the human endeavour and will remain so.

India's success in transforming the lives of its people as a liberal and plural democracy, a free society and a free economy, will provide hope for millions around the world. We may have paid a price in terms of economic growth and efficiency, but we have gained as a free people. Let us never belittle our achievements nor our ambitions in this regard, and certainly not our struggle.

The world also has a stake in the success of the Indian experiment. The world will watch India's efforts to rid its people of chronic poverty, ignorance and disease within the framework of a democratic polity. The success of this Indian experiment will remain not just our ambition for the new century. It will be the global ambition.

Ladies and gentlemen, at your summit in 2006 I reminded you of what Winston Churchill said, at the height of the Second World War. That the "empires of the future will be the empires of the mind." In saying so, he recognized the importance of knowledge in determining the destinies of nations. The intellectual, cultural, social, economic and political empowerment of individuals is the basis on which the modern world will be constructed. This defines our second ambition for the coming century. India will not only be the land of a free people, but of a knowledge-empowered people.

My greatest ambition for the coming century is to see a fully educated India. The light of knowledge must touch every child and empower every citizen. I have this dream for my people because that was my dream as a young boy in a distant village. I stand before you today because the light of knowledge has empowered me. I cannot think of any other reason. Like millions of Indians I come from a family of modest means. I lived in a dusty village with no doctor, no school, no electricity, no drinking water.

It was the burning desire to learn, to be educated, that has brought me here to these glittering halls from that village without hope. It was scholarship and fair selection that educated me. It was a free society and a land of opportunity that employed me. My dreams for myself have been realized in my lifetime because my country made me. At your Summit in 2007 I said to you that it is up to us to build the foundations that can help us realize our potential.

Our challenges and tasks present themselves to us everyday. It is up to us to exert pressure on our system to deliver. We must improve the quality of our educational system. We must improve the public delivery system, especially in health care, sanitation, drinking water and public transport. We must build a more efficient and competitive economy. We must provide an even better environment for individual enterprise to flower and flourish. These have been the focus of our Government's policies these past four years and more.

Ladies and gentlemen, the global economy is going through choppy waters. However, we can and will survive this crisis and emerge stronger if we have the imagination and will to work together. Competitive politics must not be allowed to divide our people on the basis of religion, caste or region. At home and globally we seek an inclusive growth process.

Our century will be shaped by how we respond to the global economic crisis today. If nations look only inwards and imagine they can solve their problems on their own, they will fail. The world has become more integrated and inter-dependent. In both good and bad, in prosperity and peril, in opportunity and crisis we must recognise the new inter-dependencies. No nation is an island unto itself.

That is why at the G20 Summit last week I urged world leaders to recognise these inter-dependencies and our stake in it. We need a global safety net so that the poor of the world do not pay a price for the profligacy of the rich, and the delinquency of a few. Global problems require global solutions. This is the most important lesson of the past century for the next. But global institutions of governance must be made more inclusive and representative. The voice of the developing world must be heard in the high councils of global decision-making.

The message of the economic and social crisis gripping the world is that extremist ideologies, political or economic, have harmful consequences. The idea of India, based on the rejection of extremes, respect for diversity and pluralism and the acceptance of the Middle Path, offers new pathways to progress for humanity in distress.

When nations have tilted to extremes they have either hurt themselves or harmed the world. To regain balance they have always had to return to the Middle Path of social and economic progress. I do believe that such a pragmatic approach to policy can help us deal with the challenges the world faces today.

Ladies and gentlemen, my call for moderation is not a rejection of boundless ambition. In some areas of human conduct such ambition is a necessary part of progress. Last week the Indian tricolour landed on the Moon. I salute with pride our space scientists and engineers. A few weeks earlier the global community agreed to recognise India's status as a nuclear power. I salute with pride our nuclear scientists and engineers. I also salute with pride the political leaders and policy makers who invested in these ambitious programmes.

Both achievements, on the nuclear and space fronts, come more than half a century after we as a nation set ourselves ambitious goals in the most advanced fields of scientific endeavour. When Pandit Nehru, Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai set for themselves the goals of tapping nuclear energy and exploring space, ours was a poorer nation. A less developed nation. Many mocked them for their ambition. Our achievement today mocks the cynicism of the non-believers. Such ambition must be commended. It is the kind of ambition that spurs progress and widens human imagination.

I would like to see similar ambition in ridding our country of poverty, ignorance and disease. I would like to see similar ambition in liberating the minds of our people from the deadweight of prejudice and bigotry. I would like to see similar ambition in our effort to educate and feed every child. I would like to see similar ambition in providing safe drinking water and electricity to every home across this vast land. I would like women to be equal partners in sharing the fruits of social and economic progress. I would like to see similar ambition in our endeavour to secure a neighbourhood of peace and prosperity.

No goal is impossible, no hurdle is insurmountable. But if we set our sights low, no achievement is laudable. While celebrating our achievement in space, let us reflect on its lessons for us on Earth. The moon landing was the fulfilment of a vaulting ambition. It was the result of years of hard work. Above all, it was the fruit of cooperative enterprise. Hundreds of Indians - not divided by their religion, region, language or caste, but united by their commitment to hard work and passion for a scientific adventure made this possible.

Who looks at our nuclear scientists or space engineers in terms of their narrow social identities or their religious beliefs? Who asks them what their caste is or religion is? Who asks what their language is or region is? We only ask what their achievement is. It is their work that defines them. Why cannot we look at each of our citizens in terms of their contribution to nation building, to good neighbourliness, to promotion of communal harmony, to concern for the well-being of marginalised sections of society, to peace and progress around us? Is this an ambitious goal?

Am I asking for too much when I ask each one of you to stop identifying yourself in terms of how the past has shaped you, but do so in terms of how you can and are shaping the future? For the hundreds of women and men who put the Indian tricolour on the Moon the past was no guide to the future they made possible in our present.

Let no prejudice from the past shape, nor a hurdle in the present thwart our ambitions for the future. We should be firm in our resolve to make the future happen. That should be the message of your Summit this year.

India to sustain 8 pc growth rate: PM

tejas — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:24:10 +0530

India will sustain a growth rate of eight percent despite the adverse impact of the global financial crisis, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Friday.

"We have the ability to sustain a growth rate of about eight percent. And we will do so," he said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in the capital.

Exuding confidence that India had the "resources and the wisdom to grapple and deal" with the crisis, Singh said all instruments of public policy - monetary, fiscal, public investment and exchange rate - "will be deployed" to tackle it.

Noting that the global economy was going through "choppy waters", the Prime Minister said "we can and we will survive this crisis".

Replying to questions after delivering the inaugural address at the Leadership Summit, Singh said the government had "anticipated the global slowdown" and taken measures in the budget.

Observing that the global economy was passing through a "deep crisis", the economist-turned-politician said "we cannot pretend that we are not affected by it.

"The crisis was not made in our country but elsewhere. Due to the interdependency (of the world economies), we are in the same boat," the Prime Minister said.

Noting that global problems required global solutions, he said there was a need for a global safety net.

Maintaining that he had urged the G-20 to create a global safety net, the Prime Minister said this was required to ensure that the poor did not pay the price for the "delinquency" of the rich.

With communal violence in some states weighing heavily on his mind, Singh said, "competitive politics must not be allowed to divide the people on the basis of religion, caste or region."

He said cooperative pluralism and respect for diversity was the basis of democracy.

With the term of the UPA government coming to an end, the Prime Minister said his ambition for the 21st century was a fully educated and empowered India.

"The light of knowledge should touch every child," Singh said as he recalled his rise from a "dusty village" in Punjab to the top office only because of education. "My dream for myself was realised in my own lifetime."

PM talks to Advani on Malegaon probe

wali — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:39:55 +0530

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called up BJP leader LK Advani in regard to his allegations about torture of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, a key accused in the Malegaon blast case, and is sending National Security Advisor MK Naryanan to meet the BJP leader on Friday to discuss the ongoing ATS probe.

In a surprise move, the prime minister made the telephone call on WEdnesday during when he offered to send Narayanan to meet Advani apparently to allay any apprehensions after the Leader of the opposition slammed the ongoing Maharashtra's Anti Terror Squad (ATS) probe and publicly voiced his "outrage" over Sadhvi's torture allegations.

Singh is understood to have told Advani that the BJP charges are being looked into by appropriate authorities and the facts are being ascertained.

Advani told PTI that Prime Minister during his telephonic talk with him yesterday said that he has asked the NSA to meet him and the meeting could take place on Friday.

Intelligence Bureau Chief PC Haldar will also be present at the meeting, highly placed BJP sources said.

Advani told the Prime Minister that he felt "outraged" after reading the Sadhvi's affadavit and wondered how could a person be tortured and kept in illegal detention.

"I requested the Prime Minister to read the affadavit personally," Advani said recalling that he had not referred to that issue before he read the affadavit.

The prime minister is also understood to have voiced concern over how religious labels are being given for terror activities.

The NSA would be meeting Advani tommorow in the noon to discuss the developments in the Malegaon probe, highly- placed sources in BJP told PTI.

The sources said that Advani was told by the prime minister that Narayanan would "explain the facts" of the probe into the blast. Advani had also demanded that the ATS team be replaced.

Breaking his silence in the Malegaon probe while coming out in support of the Sadhvi, Advani alleged on Tuesday "It has become clear that the ATS is acting in a politically-motivated and unprofessional manner."

BJP president Rajnath Singh and several party leaders have also targetted the ATS and have accused there is a political conspiracy.

Advani raised the issue of the affidavit filed in a Nashik court by Sadhvi in which she alleged she is being tortured by ATS personnel which he described as "barbaric treatment."

Singh informed Advani that he had seen the statement made by the opposition leader in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday about repeated narco analysis done on the Sadhvi.

Advani had also said at the public meeting that no women police personnel were present during the tests.

Congress meanwhile took strong exception to Advani coming to the defence of the Sadhvi saying such remarks complicated the issue.

"It is very strange that the head of a political party takes up such issues concerning a terror accused," party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi told reporters.

Every terror-accused levels charges of manhandling and high-handedness, but there is no reason for a head of a political party to support the accused, he said. "It (Advani's remarks) complicates the issue."

Every allegation by the accused, physical and medical, have been gone into by the court and has been verified. "Court has gone into each allegation and found them to be untrue," he said.

Prioritise sanitation in development process: PM

wali — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:07:48 +0530

Sanitation needs to be given priority in development policy approaches, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Tuesday, and suggested a four-point roadmap to make this universally available to all citizens.

"Good sanitation should be a birthright of every citizen of South Asia," he said while inaugurating the Third South Asian Conference on Sanitation in New Delhi.

For this to happen, firstly, "sanitation issues need to be given priority in our development policy approaches," he stressed.

"Its cross-cutting implications need deep study and greater understanding. The role of community leadership in changing old habits and ways of thinking will be crucial as our own experience has shown," the prime minister said.

"The capacities of our rural and urban local bodies to address these issues from both social and economic angles will need to be enhanced," he noted.

Secondly, he said, sanitation has to be located in an integrated framework of public health policy to ensure that sanitation activities are indeed adequately funded.

"We know, for example, that something as simple as washing hands properly can check 50 percent of the diarrhoea cases in our country. Provision of safe drinking water can also greatly help to contain the incidence of many water-borne diseases. Similarly, provision of toilets near the habitat can protect our women against many stomach related diseases."

Thus, Manmohan Singh said, "conscious efforts have to be made to invest in hygiene consciousness and sanitation as part of a holistic public health policy".

The third area, according to the prime minister, was technology.

"We need to develop sanitation technologies for diverse eco-systems. Advances in science and technology make it possible as never before in human history that chronic poverty and ill health do not have to be the inevitable lot of a majority of human race."

Noting that the new technologies have to be affordable and sustainable, Manmohan Singh said: "This is a technology challenge we must work on, using both modern science and traditional wisdom and knowledge."

"We know that advanced technologies exist for toilets used in space programmes. We also know that traditional water systems were engineered in our villages to optimise scarce resources, including the use of water," he said.

"We should, therefore, use scientific ingenuity to take us to the next generation of sanitation technologies," Manmohan Singh said.

Fourthly, he maintained, the issue of sustainability needed to be addressed.

"I am told that 20 percent of the toilets built in our country are not functional because of a variety of factors, from poor construction to the lack of adequate maintenance. We need, therefore, to build local capacity in construction and maintenance of sanitation facilities," the prime minister contended.

In this context, he pointed out that India had, for some time, been advocating a "barefoot engineers" programme where rural youth are trained in multiple engineering skills to repair agricultural pump sets, hand pumps, rural household power connections, agricultural implements and sanitation facilities.

"In our country we have conceived of a major national initiative for skill development. I hope that we will be able to integrate training of barefoot engineers into this national plan," the prime minister stated.

This apart, he said India "will be very happy to share our experience" with other countries of South Asia and also to learn and gain from their experience in tackling problems of rural sanitation.

"In recent years, all the countries in South Asia are working on making sanitation a priority development investment. It is our solemn obligation duty to ensure that every citizen South Asia has access to a functioning toilet," Manmohan Singh said.

India, Egypt sign five pacts, agree to fight on terror

sitansu — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:20:16 +0530

India and Egypt, both co-founders of the Non-Aligned Movement on Tuesday sought to transform their ties into a strategic partnership by signing five pacts, including an extradition treaty, and agreed to jointly combat terrorism.

The pacts were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who is visiting New Delhi after a quarter century to lay “a sound basis for a vibrant strategic partnership” with India which is seen as a rising economic and knowledge power in his country.

Besides the extradition treaty, the two countries also signed pacts on the use of outer space and in the areas of trade and technical cooperation.

An agreement on the abolition of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, special and official passports and another one on enhancing cooperation in the fields of health and medicine were also inked.

Manmohan Singh and Mubarak held “productive and fruitful” talks on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues, including terrorism, the intensification of economic ties, food and energy security, the global financial crisis and the peace process in the Middle East.

In a concrete step to transform ties that languished in the 1980s due to Cold War politics, the two emerging economies decided to establish a strategic dialogue at the level of foreign ministers.

The step “reflects our desire to upgrade our relations,” Manmohan Singh said at a joint press conference with Mubarak.

“The visit has opened a new chapter in our relations. We have both agreed that all conditions are ripe for transforming relations to correspond to contemporary realities,” Manmohan Singh underlined.

“We have agreed to make up for lost time, and to elevate our relations to a level that reflects our mutual strengths and complementarities," the prime minister stressed.

Mubarak called for “collective action” against terrorism and underlined the need for joint action by developed and developing countries “to reshape the international economic order” in the wake of the meltdown.

Mubarak also thanked India for its “key role” in the security of the Middle East and appreciated New Delhi's support for the Palestinian cause.

Mubarak, who has ruled Egypt for nearly three decades, invited Manmohan Singh to visit his country and announced that Cairo will be hosting the 15th Non-Aligned Movement summit in 2009.

RBI may inject more liquidity after PM reviews economy

sitansu — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:52:06 +0530

The Reserve Bank is likely to announce fresh measures to inject more funds into the cash-starved banking system following a meeting of the Prime Minister-chaired committee on tackling the global turmoil.

"The meeting considered certain steps and RBI will look at them. Various methods of injecting liquidity through repo and reverse repo (short-term) rates were discussed," Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath told reporters after the meeting.

Asked how soon the measures would be announced, Nath said, "This will happen in due course it will not take long. The government is conscious of the fact that the Prime Minister himself is monitoring (the situation), which means the action would be taken soon."

The meeting was also attended by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and RBI Governor D Subbarao.

To a question on the job cuts, he said the government would not hesitate to raise tariffs sharply wherever cheap imports were causing injury to the domestic industry.

The meeting looked at liquidity issues, especially in housing, construction and non-banking financial sectors.

The RBI has unlocked Rs 2.75 lakh crore during the last a few weeks through cuts in various mandatory deposits that banks need to keep with the central bank. It also allowed housing finance companies to borrow short-term funds from overseas sources.

However, despite the measures taken by RBI, the liquidity condition and high interest rates continue to be a matter of concern for the industry.

On monetary measures, Nath said certain steps were considered at the meeting, and the Reserve Bank would be looking at them, and thereafter, decisions might follow.

"It is recognised that liquidity is an issue and liquidity issue should not become insolvency issue," Nath stressed.

He further said that both fiscal and monetary issues are needed to address the current economic situation. "Just one alone is not adequate," he added.

Asked about relaxations on pre-shipment and post-shipment credits, Nath said, "Pre-shipment credit has been relaxed, while in post-shipment, there is a question of moving it from 30 to 60 days to 180 days, which is going to be considered."

On Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India, he said, "Exim Bank is going to look at having corresponding trade arrangements with other countries' export-import banks, so that the lines of credit can be worked out."

G20 marked a shift in economic power: PM

megha — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:33:46 +0530

Describing the G-20 summit as "very successful", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Sunday that this had marked a shift in balance of economic power in favour of emerging economies.

There was one important significance which is clear that the balance of power is shifting increasingly in favour of emerging economies, Singh told reporters accompanying him in his special plane on way back from Washington, where he attended the G-20 summit.

"We were previously also invited for the past couple of years for the G-8 meetings. But consultations were merely for the sake of form. For the first time there was a genuine dialogue between many of the developed countries and the emerging economies," he said.

This was confirmation of a shifting balance of economic power and the western world has at long last got to realise this reality, Singh said.

"This is a positive gain. Also before I went when President (George W) Bush spoke to me first about his idea I had mentioned to him that there was a risk that if the meeting was not not well-planned it could be counter-productive.

"Also I was worried that Europeans and Americans may not not be able to agree and similarly the emerging countries may not not receive the attention that we would like them to get, in which case it would be a clear picture of dissension which would not not be good for handling the financial crisis or its aftermath that is on the horizon," he said.

Singh said the G20 meeting could be described as very successful. There was no attempt to score partisan points.

India hopeful of better ties under Obama regime

megha — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 12:00:35 +0530

US President-elect Barack Obama's transition team has given "positive indications" to India about the bilateral ties and there is no reason to have any doubts about its intentions, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Sunday.

The Obama transition team deputed former Secretary of State Madeline Albright for interaction with the Indian side during the Prime Minister's visit to Washington, Singh said, adding "they have given us all the positive indications."

"There is no no reason to have any doubts about the intentions of the Obama Administration towards us. From whatever contact we have had we have no no reasons to be apprehensive about the change of the regime in the US," he told reporters accompanying him in his aircraft on way back from the G-20 summit he had attended in Washington.

Ahead of Singh's US visit, Obama had telephoned the Prime Minister on Wednesday last and described the Indo-US strategic relationship as a "very important partnership."

Singh said there was general recognition in the US about the role India can play and should play. There is considerable appreciation of the way the Indian economy was managed.

Asked about the possibility of the Obama Administration implementing the measures of the Bush regime in tackling the economic crisis, he said "the situation is serious. You can't wait until January 20 (when Obama will take over as US President."

"The financial crisis spilling over to real economy and for the world to say that it will do nothing, then I think, will not not be a very responsible act.

"So despite all the uncertainties surrounding the change of Administration, the message ... from the Washington summit is that the world leaders are greatly concerned about the situation and they are committed to funding practical and pragmatic solutions to this problem.

"They are confident that there is will power among the world leaders to act and act decisively," Singh said.

PM rules out early general elections

megha — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:53:56 +0530

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday ruled out early Lok Sabha elections in the wake of the worsening global economic downturn and fears of its adverse impact on India.

"It (economic crisis) has no no bearing on elections. The elections will be held on schedule," he told journalists accompanying him in his special aircraft on way back from Washington, where he attended a summit of G-20 leaders.

He was asked about the possibility of the global crisis forcing government to go for early elections or change any plans for early polls in view of the fears the crisis has stoked.

To another question, Singh said his government has performed reasonably well and he sincerely hoped that the people would repose their confidence in them.

Asked how realistically he felt that the approaching elections would impact the government's response to the crisis, he said "the crisis is not not our making. I would like the people of India to judge us by the response of the government to the crisis.

"We acted in time. While the rest of the world is in gloom we will still maintain a growth rate of 7.5 percent. The goal is growth with stability and more inclusive growth is a reality and will remain a reality despite the onslaught of adverse turn on our external environment," he said.

Elections are due before the last week of July in 2009 to constitute the next Lok Sabha.

PM calls for coordinated fiscal package to fight crisis

wali — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 22:31:08 +0530

Warning that the financial meltdown has exploded into a systemic crisis, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday asked world leaders to work on a coordinated fiscal package to tackle recession that is hitting India and other developing countries.

"India is experiencing this negative impact. Emerging market countries were not the cause of this crisis but they are among the worst affected victims," Singh said addressing the G-20 Summit, convened by US President George W Bush.

Attributing the crisis to failure of regulatory and supervisory mechanism, Singh said "we must give the world a clear signal to take specific coordinated action to handle the crisis in a manner which restores confidence and which also responds to the needs of the developing countries".

He said a credible system of multilateral surveillance which can signal the emergence of imbalances, should be designed to protect the world from recurrence of such crisis and suggested a multi-pronged approach to spur investment, global trade and capital flows to re-instill investors' confidence.

Advocating a coordinated fiscal stimulus to help mitigate severity and duration of the recession, Singh pressed for urgent steps to strengthen the global trading system and forestall any protectionist tendencies which surface during such crisis.

Singh, 76, an eminent economist himself, prescribed a slew of measures, including short-term swap arrangements, special incentives to counter shrinkage of capital inflows and activating a process of replenishing IMF resources.

"Resorting to fiscal stimulus may be viewed as risky in some situations, but if we are indeed on the brink of the worst downturn since the Great Depression, the risk may be worth taking," he told the Summit which has leaders from UK, France, China, Japan Italy and other leading nations.

The Summit deliberated on short-term, medium and long-term steps to overcome the financial crisis.

Trade flows

The Prime Minister said the industrialised countries could help revive trade flows in developing nations by expanding the scale of export credit finance available to them.

"There is a need to intervene to overcome market failure. A collapse of trade is the last thing that one wants in the current crisis, with all its implications for growth and employment," he said.

Projecting a lower economic growth of 7-7.5 per cent in the current financial year, Singh said "the pace of growth next year will depend, in part, upon how long the global recession lasts and how quickly global capital flows return to normal".

He said slowing down of growth in developing countries would push millions of people back into poverty, with adverse effects on nutrition, health and education levels.

"These are not transient impact but will impact a full generation. If we are to prevent a slide back and ensure that Millennium Development Goals are to be achieved, we need to ensure that growth in developing economies is not affected," he said.

He emphasised that the leaders of 20 leading nations need to distinguish between the immediate and medium term priorities.

The need of the hour must be to bring the crisis under control as quickly as possible with as little adverse effect on developing countries, while the medium term aim is reforming the global financial architecture to prevent similar crisis in the future.

Although a series of steps have already been taken by countries to inject liquidity into the system and recapitalize banks, crises are far from over as the credit channels remain clogged and the signs of distress in the real economy suggest that additional measures are needed, Singh added.

PM calls for bolstering global financial institutions

wali — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:53:50 +0530

Ahead of beginning his visit to Washington on Thursday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed concern over the likely slowdown in the growth of developing countries due to the global financial meltdown and called for strengthening global financial institutions to avert such a crisis.

The prime minister underlined that India's efforts at the G20 conclave will be to ensure that the fallout of the global financial crisis on developing countries will be “minimal”.

“Our message to G20 will be that they will do everything in their power so that the implementation of millennium development goals by developing countries will not be affected,” Manmohan Singh told reporters when asked how the global financial crisis will affect developing countries of the region.

He was speaking at a joint press conference with leaders of other member-countries of the Bay of Bengal Initiative of Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) - a regional grouping comprising India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar and Thailand.

Manmohan Singh will leave on a three-day visit to Washington on Thursday evening to attend the G20 conclave called by President George W. Bush to discuss with leaders of developing countries how to address the global financial meltdown and reforms that could avert such crises in future.

“International financial institutions such as the IMF and World Bank and regional development banks should be strengthened so that the fallout of the global financial crisis on developing countries in minimal,” he said.

Though it originated in the US and Europe, we are affected but relatively less than the baking and financial sectors of developed countries, he said. He underlined that the banks of developing countries in the region are better regulated and have healthy cash reserve ratios that could protect them from the meltdown.

“There is no threat to the financial health of region,” he said.

He, however, expressed concerns over the long-range effects of the ongoing meltdown.

“The growth rate in these countries is likely to be affected. That will affect exports of developing countries,” he said.

International financial institutions are reluctant to lend and there may be difficulties in balance of payment for least developed countries, he added.

If the flow of funds from developed to developing countries is affected, it will affect the capacity of developing countries to implement the Millennium Development Goals, he said.

PM pitches for early conclusion of BIMSTEC free trade pact

sitansu — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:23:16 +0530

Pitching for early conclusion of the BIMSTEC Free Trade Agreement, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said countries in Asia should give a new strategic thrust to the cooperation in the backdrop of global financial crisis.

"We should do something visible in the area of trade and economic cooperation as a manifestation of our ability to do something big together," he said while inaugurating the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit in New Delhi.

Observing considerable progress has been made towards BIMSTEC Free Trade Agreement for trade in goods, Singh said early conclusion of such an agreement would be a shining example of cooperation among the members.

"We also look forward to the next stage of an agreement in the area of investment and services," he told the Summit being attended by BIMSTEC leaders from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Thailand.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein, Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley and Thai Premier Somchai Wangsawat are attending the day-long second summit.

Obama talks to PM, says Indo-US ties 'very important'

tejas — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:40:09 +0530

US President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday telephoned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the US-India strategic relationship is a "very important partnership" and the administration wants to work together with India on all important global issues.

The call was placed Wednesday morning as earlier attempts to establish contact between the two sides failed to materialise because the Prime Minister was travelling abroad.

Singh congratulated Obama on his historic victory and said his success would be an inspiration for the oppressed people all over the world, according to PMO sources.

The Prime Minister said that the relationship between India and the US was "very good" but "we should not be satisfied with the status quo".

Singh conveyed his best wishes for the success of the Obama administration in meeting challenges that face the world.

The Prime Minister also invited Obama and his wife Mitchelle to visit India, the sources said.

Obama praised Singh's contribution to the progress of India as Finance Minister earlier and the Prime Minister now.

PM denies bias against Opposition-ruled states

megha — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:12:40 +0530

Rejecting the charges of bias against opposition-ruled states like Kerala, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Tuesday that he has taken special care to look into issues brought to him and there was no question of any discrimination.

"It has been my conscious effort that neither government of Kerala, West Bengal nor Tripura should have any real grievance," he said while returning from a three-day visit to energy-rich Gulf region.

Singh was replying to questions by reporters on discrimination charges levied by the Left Democratic Front government in Kerala.

Stating that the Central Government was conscious of its obligation to help the people in opposition-ruled states, he said: "I have made very special efforts to attend to their concerns. It is our duty, it is not a favour to them."

"As a Prime Minister, I have taken special care to look into any issues which the Chief Ministers of Kerala, West Bengal or Tripura have brought to my notice. So there is no question of any discrimination," Singh said.

"These are states of the Union and it is duty of the Central government to come to their help despite the fact that they may be run by parties who may be opposed to us," he said.

Asked if he was satisfied with the way Maharashtra government has handled violence against north Indians, Singh said he would not like to comment on an internal matter when abroad.

"It will not be proper on my part to comment on internal matters which may have a bearing on the relations between the union and the state," he said.

He also brushed aside questions on early polls saying "I have often said when the country goes to poll you (media) would be the first to hear about."