India once again tops Nielsen’s global confidence index

Citizens actually saving more than before; spending habits haven’t changed much over past two quarters

India continues to top the global confidence index but its citizens are actually saving more than before in a continuing trend of caution, and their spending habits haven’t changed much over the past two quarters.

Respondents polled online by market researcher Nielsen said they saved primarily on gas and electricity (54%), new clothes (48%) and telephone expenses (37%), compared with last year.

Over two in 10 (23%) respondents indicated they will cut down on smoking to control spending, even when conditions improve.

However, the country’s confidence level was unchanged from the preceding quarter at 131 points.

India was followed by the US (119), Philippines (117) and Indonesia (116), according to the Nielsen Global Survey of Consumer Confidence and Spending Intentions.

Even though this is the sixth quarter in a row that India has topped the survey, the number of respondents who felt the economy was still weak increased over the year. More than half the respondents (54%) felt the economy is still in a recession, an increase of 4 percentage points over the preceding quarter.

However, this quarter, 67% indicated that India will be out of the recession over the next 12 months, as against 61% last quarter.

Consumer confidence above 100 indicates optimism. An increase in consumer confidence index is a sign of brighter prospects for an economic recovery. The latest survey was conducted between 10 August and 4 September and had 30,000 global participants with Internet access across 60 countries.

The survey results are in line with the earnings of consumer goods manufacturers and retailers. For instance, at Hindustan Unilever Ltd, India’s largest consumer goods manufacturer by sales, volume growth in the September quarter was nearly the same as that in the preceding quarter at 6.5%.

Likewise, Shoppers Stop Ltd, India’s oldest department store chain, recorded flat like-to-like growth in the September quarter.

However, Govind Shrikhande, managing director, Shoppers Stop, is now looking at double-digit growth in the December quarter, given the festivals of Dussehra and Diwali.

“The festive season may lend to this buoyancy,” said Roosevelt D’Souza, senior vice-president, Nielsen India region, adding that smart marketing and attractive deals, both online and in store, may also stimulate the market. However, “volatility still exists in consumer sentiment owing to deficit monsoons, and uncertainty in certain pockets when it comes to consumption”, he said.

Meanwhile, optimism for urban job prospects remains at the same level as last quarter at 81%.

With no improvement in the job outlook, an increasing number of consumers have changed their spending habits. In the September quarter last year, 61% indicated they will invest spare cash in savings, 44% in new technology projects, 43% in new clothes, and 42% on holidays and vacations.

Now, over 4/5th of respondents (83%) have changed their spending habits to save on expenses, echoing trends from last quarter (80% in June quarter 2015), and five percentage points higher than the same quarter last year (78% in Q3 2014).

Additionally, there has been a slight increase on concerns around job security, with 19% of respondents indicating it is the biggest concern, up by two percentage points from last quarter (17% in the preceding quarter). However, compared with the same period last year, the outlook on jobs security is optimistic (21% in Q3 2014).

Other big concerns for the next six months are the state of the economy (13%), followed by work-life balance (10%. Others included increasing food prices (8%) and parents’ welfare and happiness (7%).

Interestingly, 81% urban Indian respondents have polled that the state of personal finances was good or excellent for the third quarter of 2015, marginally up by two percentage points from last quarter (79% in the preceding quarter).

Bill related to 10% reservation to RA has been passed by GOVT OF UTTARAKHAND

Bill related to 10% reservation to RA has been passed by GOVT OF UTTARAKHAND.now on 16th HC will give its decision related to petition on reservation.after that UKPSC will start process for mains exam.mains exam may be scheduled after december.

http://epaper.livehindustan.com/story.aspx?id=678455&boxid=87544936&ed_date=2015-11-03&ed_code=135&ed_page=2

Fast forwarding to thorium

A new worldwide plutonium market brought under safeguards is a safe bet to help India advance its ambitious thorium reactor programme.

What is the single greatest factor that prevents the large-scale deployment ofthorium-fuelled reactors in India? Most people would assume that it is a limitation of technology, still just out of grasp. After all, the construction of the advanced heavy-water reactor (AHWR) — a 300 MWe, indigenously designed, thorium-fuelled, commercial technology demonstrator — has been put off several times since it was first announced in 2004. However, scientists at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre have successfully tested all relevant thorium-related technologies in the laboratory, achieving even industrial scale capability in some of them. In fact, if pressed, India could probably begin full-scale deployment of thorium reactors in ten years. The single greatest hurdle, to answer the original question, is the critical shortage of fissile material.

A fissile material is one that can sustain a chain reaction upon bombardment by neutrons. Thorium is by itself fertile, meaning that it can transmute into a fissile radioisotope but cannot itself keep a chain reaction going. In a thorium reactor, a fissile material like uranium or plutonium is blanketed by thorium. The fissile material, also called a driver in this case, drives the chain reaction to produce energy while simultaneously transmuting the fertile material into fissile material. India has very modest deposits of uranium and some of the world’s largest sources of thorium. It was keeping this in mind that in 1954, Homi Bhabha envisioned India’s nuclear power programme in three stages to suit the country’s resource profile. In the first stage, heavy water reactors fuelled by natural uranium would produce plutonium; the second stage would initially be fuelled by a mix of the plutonium from the first stage and natural uranium. This uranium would transmute into more plutonium and once sufficient stocks have been built up, thorium would be introduced into the fuel cycle to convert it into uranium 233 for the third stage. In the final stage, a mix of thorium and uranium fuels the reactors. The thorium transmutes to U-233 as in the second stage, which powers the reactor. Fresh thorium can replace the depleted thorium in the reactor core, making it essentially a thorium-fuelled reactor even though it is the U-233 that is undergoing fission to produce electricity.

After decades of operating pressurised heavy-water reactors (PHWR), India is finally ready to start the second stage. A 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam is set to achieve criticality any day now and four more fast breeder reactors have been sanctioned, two at the same site and two elsewhere. However, experts estimate that it would take India many more FBRs and at least another four decades before it has built up a sufficient fissile material inventory to launch the third stage. The earliest projections place major thorium reactor construction in the late 2040s, some past 2070. India cannot wait that long.

Procuring fissile material

The obvious solution to India’s shortage of fissile material is to procure it from the international market. As yet, there exists no commerce in plutonium though there is no law that expressly forbids it. In fact, most nuclear treaties such as the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material address only U-235 and U-233, presumably because plutonium has so far not been considered a material suited for peaceful purposes. The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) merely mandates that special fissionable material — which includes plutonium — if transferred, be done so under safeguards. Thus, the legal rubric for safeguarded sale of plutonium already exists. The physical and safety procedures for moving radioactive spent fuel and plutonium also already exists.

If India were to start purchasing plutonium and/or spent fuel, it would immediately alleviate the pressure on countries like Japan and the U.K. who are looking to reduce their stockpile of plutonium. India is unlikely to remain the only customer for too long either. Thorium reactors have come to be of great interest to many countries in the last few years, and Europe yet remains intrigued by FBRs as their work on ASTRID, ALFRED, and ELSY shows.

The unseemly emphasis on thorium technology has many reasons. One, thorium reactors produce far less waste than present-day reactors. Two, they have the ability to burn up most of the highly radioactive and long-lasting minor actinides that makes nuclear waste from Light Water Reactors a nuisance to deal with. Three, the minuscule waste that is generated is toxic for only three or four hundred years rather than thousands of years. Four, thorium reactors are cheaper because they have higher burnup. And five, thorium reactors are significantly more proliferation-resistant than present reactors. This is because the U-233 produced by transmuting thorium also contains U-232, a strong source of gamma radiation that makes it difficult to work with. Its daughter product, thallium-208, is equally difficult to handle and easy to detect.

The mainstreaming of thorium reactors worldwide thus offers an enormous advantage to proliferation-resistance as well as the environment. Admittedly, there still remains a proliferation risk, but these can be addressed by already existing safeguards. For India, it offers the added benefit that it can act as a guarantor for the lifetime supply of nuclear fuel for reactors if it chooses to enter the export market, something it is unable to do for uranium-fuelled reactors.

It is clear that India stands to profit greatly from plutonium trading but what compelling reason does the world have to accommodate India? The most significant carrot would be that all of India’s FBRs that are tasked for civilian purposes can come under international safeguards in a system similar to the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal. There is little doubt that India will one day have a fleet of FBRs and large quantities of fissile material that can easily be redirected towards its weapons programme. This will limit how quickly India can grow its nuclear arsenal to match that of, say, China. Delhi has shown no inclination to do so until now, but the world community would surely prefer that as much as possible of India’s plutonium was locked under safeguards.

The U.S. could perhaps emerge as the greatest obstacle to plutonium commerce. Washington has been resolutely opposed to reprocessing since the Carter administration, preferring instead the wasteful once-through, open fuel cycle. Although the U.S. cannot prevent countries from trading in plutonium, it has the power to make it uncomfortable for them via sanctions, reduced scientific cooperation, and other mechanisms. The strong non-proliferation lobby in the U.S. is also likely to be nettled that a non-signatory of the NPT would now move to open and regulate trade in plutonium. The challenge for Delhi is to convince Washington to sponsor rather than oppose such a venture. In this, a sizeable portion of the nuclear industry could be Delhi’s allies.

Scientists predict that the impact of climate change will be worse on India. Advancing the deployment of thorium reactors by four to six decades via a plutonium market might be the most effective step towards curtailing carbon emissions.

More Indian birds enter list of threatened species

Destruction of grasslands, wetlands and forests takes its toll on birds

The Red List of birds released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for 2015 shows that a total of 180 bird species in India are now threatened, as against 173 last year. Only one species has moved out of the Red List.

The latest additions to the list, which are based on studies conducted by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS)-India, BirdLife International (UK-based) and other partner organisations, reveal that bird habitats like grasslands and wetlands are under threat. Of the new additions, five have been uplisted from the Least Concerned to the Near Threatened category, a sign of increased threat. These include Northern Lapwing (a grassland bird) and four wetland birds, namely Red Knot, Curlew Sandpiper, Eurasian Oystercatcher and Bar-Tailed Godwit.

Two other wetland birds, Horned Grebe and Common Pochard have been uplisted from Least Concerned to Vulnerable. Steppe Eagle (a raptor from grasslands), which is a regular winter visitor to the Indian subcontinent, has been uplisted from Least Concerned to Endangered.

More effort needed

“The list of threatened species keeps on increasing with every assessment. That itself symbolises that our efforts for conservation of species are not adequate. We need to logically rethink the developmental agenda, especially for the habitats and areas where these species exist,” said Dr. Deepak Apte, Director, BNHS. He added that some of the neglected habitats should be a part of protected areas or marked as ecologically sensitive sites.

Destruction of grasslands, wetlands, forests and other habitats is considered the most common reason for this development.

BNHS study reveals that apart from habitat loss, the other reason for decline of birds like Steppe Eagle, which mostly scavenges on animal carcasses, is the use of veterinary drug diclofenac used to treat livestock. This drug causes renal failure in these birds. Three vulture species, namely White-backed, Slender-billed and Long-billed have also been severely affected by diclofenac.

Navigation satellite system by March

Last three satellites of constellation to be launched next year.

India is expected to have its own satellite-based regional navigation system in place by next March, providing accurate position information service for terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation, disaster management, vehicle tracking, fleet management and visual and voice navigation for drivers.

A.S. Kiran Kumar, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said here on Thursday that the constellation of seven satellites comprising the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) would be in orbit by March. The last three of the satellites were scheduled to be launched in January, February and March, he told the media on the sidelines of a function organised by the High Energy Materials Society of India.

Launched by PSLV rockets, the first four satellites of the constellation are already in orbit. ISRO has also established a satellite navigation centre at Byalalu in Karnataka. A network of ranging stations located across the country will provide data for the orbital determination of the satellites and monitoring of the navigation signal.

Mr. Kumar said the first experimental flight of the indigenously developed fully Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) would take place towards the beginning of 2016. The RLV-TD (Technology Demonstrator) was undergoing tests at VSSC from where it would be moved to Bengaluru and later to Srikarikotta for the launch. RLV has been conceived by ISRO as a space plane that will bring down the cost of satellite launch substantially.

In the first test flight, RLV-TD, weighing around 1.5 tonnes, would be launched to an altitude of 70 km atop a solid booster rocket and released. Re-entering the atmosphere, the thermally insulated vehicle will travel back to earth in a controlled descent, to be recovered from the sea. ISRO has plans to construct a 4-km runway at SHAR for the RLV to make a horizontal landing in the subsequent flights.

Mr. Kumar said preparations were underway for the first developmental flight of the GSLV Mark 3 scheduled to take place by December 2016.

The biggest rocket made in India, the Mk3 will be capable of launching four-tonne satellites into geosynchronous orbit. He said efforts were on to achieve the target of two launches per year, using the Mk2 configuration of GSLV that is currently capable of placing satellites up to 2.2 tonnes in orbit.

Mr. Kumar added that Chandrayaan 2, India’s second lunar exploration mission, was expected to be launched by 2018. The project involves the indigenous development of a lunar orbiter, lander and rover.

---

First four satellites are already in orbit

Chandrayaan 2 likely by 2018: ISRO Chairman

---

Last three satellites of constellation to be launched next year

Text of PM’s address ahead of Run for Unity event on Rashtriya Ekta Diwas at Rajpath

Text of PM’s address ahead of Run for Unity event on Rashtriya Ekta Diwas at Rajpath

उपस्थित सभी महानुभाव

आज 31 अक्‍तूबर हम सरदार साहब की 140वीं जयंती मना रहे हैं। आज का दिवस इस बात के लिए भी भूल नहीं सकते कि भारत की पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री श्रीमती इंदिरा जी ने बलिदान दिया था। आज जब हम सरदार साहब की जयंती मना रहे हैं। हर समय महापुरूषों का जीवन, महापुरूषों की जीवन शैली आने वाले पीढि़यों को एक नई ऊर्जा देती है, प्रेरणा देती है, ताकत देती है। देश में किसी को भी हमारी इस महान विरासत को भुला देने का हक नहीं है। देश के लिए जीने मरने वाले, उनकी विचारधारा का मूल्‍यांकन करना यह हमारा दायित्‍व नहीं है। उनके महान कार्यों को याद करना, उसमें से कुछ लेने-पाने की कोशिश करना और उन महान संकल्‍पों को ले करके जीने का प्रयास करना वो हर पीढ़ी का दायित्‍व होता है। सरदार साहब, भारत की एकता के साथ एक अटूट नाता जिस महापुरूष का जुड़ा, वह सरदार साहब थे। वे लौहपुरूष के रूप में इसलिए नहीं जाने गए कि किसी ने उनको अखबार के कॉलम में उनका नाम लौहपुरूष के रूप में छाप दिया था। किसी ने Certificate दे दिया था, वे लौह पुरूष इसलिए माने गए और आज भी लौह पुरूष सुनते ही सरदार साहब का चित्र हमारे आंखों के सामने आ जाता है। उसका कारण उनके जीवन के हर निर्णय, हर व्‍यवस्‍था से जब भी उनको फैसले करने की नौबत आई, उस शक्ति के साथ उन्‍होंने किये, उस समझदारी के साथ किए और तब जा करके लौह पुरूष के नाम से वो हिंदुस्‍तान के अंदर अमर हो गए।

शायद दुनिया में बहुत कम लोग होते हैं कि जो एक से अधिक उपाधियों से नवाजित हो और सारी की सारी स्‍वीकृत हो। वे सरदार साहब के नाम से भी जाने गए, लौह पुरूष के नाम से भी जाने गए और दोनों चीजें बराबर बराबर साथ चलती रही। यह बहुत कम होता है।

भारत की एकता के लिए सरदार साहब का योगदान कम नहीं आंका जा सकता। अंग्रेजों का सपना था कि देश छोड़ने के बाद यह देश बिखर जाए। वो चाहते थे कि राजा-रजवाडो के बीच एक टकराव पैदा होगा और भारत कभी एकता के सूत्र में नहीं बंधेगा और इसके लिए उन्‍होंने अपने शासनकाल में विभाजनकारी जितनी भी बातों को बल दिया जाए, जितनी भी बातों के बीज बोयें जाए हर कोशिश को करते रहे। लेकिन इतनी सारी कोशिशों के बावजूद भी यह सरदार साहब थे जिन्‍होंने भारत को एकता के सूत्र में बांध दिया। बहुत ही कम समय में बांध दिया और उसमें राजनीतिक कौशल्य का परिचय दिया। अपनी लौह मज्जा का उन्‍होंने परिचय दिया। उन्‍होंने कौशल्य का परिचय दिया। राजा महाराजा, उनकी जो ऊंचाईयां थी समाज में जो उनका स्‍थान था। उसको मनाना कठिन काम था, लेकिन वो सारी बातें एक सीमित समय सीमा में सरदार साहब ने करके दिखाया। हिंदुस्‍तान के इतिहास की तरफ देखें, तो चाणक्‍य ने चार सौ साल पहले देश को एक करने के लिए भगीरथ प्रयास किया था और बहुत बड़ी मात्रा में सफलता पाई थी। चाणक्‍य के बाद भारत को एकता के सूत्र में बांधने का अगर कोई अहम काम किसी महापुरूष ने किया, तो वो सरदार वल्‍लभ भाई पटेल ने किया और उसी के कारण तो आज कश्‍मीर से कन्‍याकुमारी तक हम एक स्‍वर से उस भारत माता को याद करते हैं। भारत माता की जय बोलते हैं। उस मां का रूप सरदार साहब ने निखारने में बहुत बड़ी भूमिका अदा की थी। और इसलिए वो महापुरूष, जिसने एक भारत दिया उसे श्रेष्‍ठ भारत बनाना यह हम सबका दायित्‍व है। हम सबका कर्तव्‍य है और इसलिए एक भारत श्रेष्‍ठ भारत बने उसके लिए सवा सौ करोड़ देशवासियों का सामूहिक पुरूषार्थ आवश्‍यक है। निर्धारित लक्ष्‍य की ओर कदम से कदम मिला करके चलना आवश्‍यक है। हमारी गति को समय की मांग के अनुसार तेज करने की आवश्‍यकता है और वो प्रेरणा हमें सरदार साहब से मिलती है।

सरदार साहब महात्‍मा गांधी के भारत लौटने के बाद सरदार साहब सार्वजनिक जीवन में आए। दिसंबर 1915 में सरदार साहब ने सार्वजनिक जीवन की शुरूआत की। इस दिसंबर में सरदार साहब की सार्वजनिक जीवन की यात्रा की शताब्‍दी का वर्ष प्रारंभ हो रहा है। और उस अर्थ में भी यह जीवन हमें किस प्रकार से प्रेरणा दे। हमारा निरंतर प्रयास रहना चाहिए।

सरदार साहब की कई विशेषताएं थी । वे प्रांरभिक काल में अहमदाबाद में Municipal corporation में City mayor के रूप में चुने गए थे और City Mayor के रूप में चुनने के बाद आज बहुत लोगों को आश्‍चर्य होगा, City Mayor चुनने के बाद सरदार साहब ने अपने शासन के पहले 222 दिन Two hundred and twenty two days अहमदाबाद शहर में एक स्‍वच्‍छता का बड़ा अभियान चलाया। प्रति दिन देश की निगरानी करते थे और सफाई का काम 1920, 22, 24 के कालखंड में सरदार साहब ने अहमदाबाद के मेयर के रूप में स्‍वच्‍छता के काम के लिए 222 दिन एक शहर के लिए अभियान चलाना, यह छोटी बात नहीं है। स्‍वच्‍छता का महत्‍व कितना उस समय भी था, यह सरदार साहब के व्‍यवहार से हमें नजर आता है और महात्‍मा गांधी बड़ी सटीक बातें बताने मे उनकी एक अहमियत रहती, एक विशेषता रहती थी। सरदार साहब के इस अभियान के लिए, क्‍यों‍कि महात्‍मा गांधी को भी स्‍वच्‍छता बहुत प्रिय थी। तो सरदार साहब की यह 222 दिन की अखंड अविरत स्‍वच्‍छता अभियान को देख करके महात्‍मा गांधी ने बढि़या कहा। उन्‍होंने कहा- अगर वल्‍लभ भाई पटेल कूड़े कचरे के भी सरदार बन जाते हैं तो अब मुझे सफाई की चिंता करने की जरूरत पड़ेगी। गांधी की बातों में सटीकता है।

सरदार साहब की दूसरी विशेषता देखिए, रानी विक्‍टोरिया के सम्‍मान में, अहमदाबाद में एक रानी विक्‍टोरिया गार्डन बना हुआ है। जब सरदार साहब मेयर बने तो किस प्रकार से चीजों को चलाने की उनकी विशेषता थी। उन्‍होंने निर्णय किया रानी विक्‍टोरिया गार्डन भले है, लेकिन उसमें प्रतिमा तो लोकमान्‍य तिलक की लगेगी है। और मेयर रहते उन्‍होंने वहां पर लोकमान्‍य तिलक का statue लगाया। अंग्रेजों का शासन था। रानी विक्‍टोरिया गार्डन था। लेकिन यह सरदार साहब की लौह शक्ति का अनुभव था। उन्‍होंने लोकमान्‍य तिलक की प्रतिमा लगाई। और प्रतिमा लगाई तो लगाई उन्‍होंने महात्‍मा गांधी को आग्रह किया कि आप इस प्रतिमा का लोकार्पण करिए और महात्‍मा गांधी विक्‍टोरिया गार्डन गए लोकमान्‍य तिलक जी की प्रतिमा का अनावरण किया। और उस दिन महात्‍मा गांधी ने एक बढि़या वाक्‍य लिखा। उन्‍होंने लिखा कि सरदार साहब अहमदाबाद municipal corporation में आने के बाद एक नई हिम्‍मत का भी प्रवेश हुआ है। यानी सरदार साहब को किस रूप में गांधी जी देखते थे, वो इससे हमें ध्‍यान में आता है।

आज कल हम women empowerment की बाते करते हैं। women reservation कौन लाया, उसकी credit कौन ले। उसके विषय में वाद-विवाद चलते रहते हैं। लेकिन बहुत कम लोगों को पता होगा, उस कालखंड में अंग्रेजों की सरकार थी। तब सरदार वल्‍लभ भाई पटेल ने अहमदाबाद Municipal Corporation में महिलाओं के लिए 50 percent reservation का प्रस्‍ताव लाए। 50 percent reservation 1930 के पहले की मैं बात कर रहा हूं। सरदार साहब women empowerment के लिए उस समय कितने सजग थे ये हम देख रहे हैं। हिन्‍दुस्‍तान की राजनीति में परिवारवाद, भाई-भतीजावाद इसने जिस प्रकार से हमारी राजनीति प्रदूषित किया है। एक सरदार साहब का जीवन है जो हमें प्रेरणा देता है कि उनके परिवार के किसी व्‍यक्‍ति का नाम आज हिन्‍दुस्‍तान के राजनीतिक नक्‍शे पर दूर-दूर तक नज़र नहीं आता है, कितना बड़ा संयम का पालन किया होगा। परिवार को कितना इन सारे राजनीतिक जीवन से दूर रखने का उन्‍होंने एक सुविचारित प्रयास किया होगा, इसके हमें दर्शन होते हैं।

सरदार साहब का जीवन देश की एकता के लिए रहा है। आज भी मैं मानता हूं कि अगर देश को आगे बढ़ना है, देश को विकास की नई ऊंचाइयों को पार करना है तो उसकी पहली गारंटी है कश्‍मीर से कन्‍याकुमारी तक भाषा कोई भी, भेष हो, परिवेश कोई भी हो किसी भी प्रेरणा से जुड़ी हुई हो, विचार किसी भी व्‍यवस्‍था से जुड़े हुए हो लेकिन हम सबका लक्ष्‍य हमारी भारतमाता को विश्‍व की नई ऊंचाइयों तक पहुंचाने का होगा तो उसकी पहली शर्त है एकता, शांति, सद्भावना। एकता, शांति और सद्भावना के मंत्र को लेकर के सवा सौ करोड़ देशवासियों के कंधे से कंधा मिलाकर के कदम से कदम चलने से अगर हिन्‍दुस्‍तान का एक नागरिक एक कदम आगे बढ़ता है, हिन्‍दुस्‍तान सवा सौ कदम एक साथ आगे बढ़ जाता है। सवा सौ करोड़ कदम आगे बढ़ जाता है और इसलिए एकता के इस मंत्र को लेकर के एक राष्‍ट्र,एकता से जुड़ा हुआ राष्‍ट्र, एकता का मंत्र लेकर चलने वाला राष्‍ट्र, एकता के लिए हर कुछ न्‍यौछावर करने वाला राष्‍ट्र , यही हमारी सबसे बड़ी शक्‍ति है और सरदार साहब का हमारे लिए एकता, यही संदेश है।

आने वाले दिनों में भारत सरकार की तरफ से राज्‍यों के साथ और सहयोग के साथ हम एक योजना बनाने के लिए सोच रहे हैं। मैंने एक छोटी committee बनाई है, वो committee उसका प्रारूप तैयार कर रही है और उस योजना का नाम है- एक भारत, श्रेष्‍ठ भारत। कल्‍पना ये है, हर वर्ष अपने राज्‍य को किसी एक राज्‍य के साथ हर राज्‍य जोड़े। मान लीजिए हरियाणा तय करे कि 2016 हम तमिलनाडु से जुड़ेंगे तो 2016 में हरियाणा में स्‍कूलों में बच्‍चों को कम से कम 100 वाक्‍य तमिल भाषा के सिखाएं जाएं। हर बच्‍चे को तमिल में गीत सिखाया जाए। तमिल फिल्‍म फेस्‍टिवल हो, तमिल नाट्य प्रयोग हो, तमिल खाने का कार्यक्रम हो और हरियाणा के लोग यात्रा करने के लिए तमिल जाए, तमिलनाडु के लोग हरियाणा आए। एक साल भर हरियाणा में तमिलनाडु चलता रहे और तमिलनाडु में हरियाणा चलता रहे। देश की एकता को जोड़ने का, देश के अन्‍य राज्‍यों को पहचानने का, अन्‍य भाषाओं को जानने का एक सहज उपक्रम बनेगा।

2017 में हरियाणा कोई और राज्‍य ले, 2018 में हरियाणा कोई और राज्‍य ले। आने वाले दिनों में प्रतिवर्ष एक भारत श्रेष्‍ठ भारत, एक राज्‍य दूसरे राज्‍य से तब जाकर के हम हमारे इस भारत की विविधता को पहचान पाएंगे, भारत की शक्‍ति को पहचान पाएंगे।

ए. पी. जे. अब्‍दुल कलाम साहब ने एक बढ़िया बात कही थी, उन्‍होंने कहा, मैं पहली बार रामेश्वरम से जब दिल्‍ली चला और ट्रेन के डिब्‍बे से मैं सफर कर रहा था। कुछ ही घंटों के बाद कोई नई भाषा आ जाती थी, नया खान-पान आ जाता था, नई बोली सुनता था। मैं हैरान था कि मेरा देश इतनी विविधताओं से भरा हुआ है। जो बात मुझे किताबों से समझ नहीं आती थी वो रामेश्वरम से दिल्‍ली निकलते समय रास्‍ते भर ट्रेन में सफर करते समय ध्‍यान में आ गई, ये भारत की विशेषता है। इस भारत की विशेषता का गौरव करना, इस भारत की विशेषता का अभिमान करना, उस भारत की विशेषता को जीने का प्रयास करना , ये हमारी एकता को नई ताकत देगी। उस नई ताकत के लिए आज सरदार साहब की जन्‍मजयंती हमारे लिए प्रेरणा का कारण बनेगी और इसलिए सरदार साहब को मैं आदरपूर्वक अंजलि देता हूं, नमन करता हूं और उनके आशीर्वाद भारत के लिए त्‍याग तपस्‍या करने वाले लक्ष्यावधि महापुरुषों के आशीर्वाद, हम सबको देश की एकता, अखंडता के लिए, भारत के विकास के लिए, भारत को नई ऊंचाइयों पर ले जाने के लिए एक नई ताकत देंगे। यही मेरा इन महापुरुषों को नमन करते हुए आदरपूर्वक उनके आशीर्वाद की कामना है।

मैं यहां पर एक संकल्‍प दोहराऊंगा। आप सबसे मेरा आग्रह है कि हम सभी आज मेरे साथ-साथ इस संकल्‍प को दोहराएंगे। हर किसी को अपने स्‍थान पर खड़े रहने केलिए मैं प्रार्थना करता हूं और हम भारत माता का मन में स्‍मरण करें, भारत के इन महापुरुषों का स्‍मरण करें और विशेष रूप से आज सरदार साहब की जन्‍म जयंती है, सरदार साहब का स्‍मरण करें और मेरे साथ बोलिये

मैं सत्‍य निष्‍ठा से शपथ लेता हूं कि मैं राष्‍ट्रीय एकता, अखंडता और सुरक्षा को बनाए रखने के लिए स्‍वयं को समर्पित करूंगा, मैं अपने देशवासियों के बीच यह संदेश फैलाने का भी भरसक प्रयत्‍न करूंगा। मैं यह शपथ अपने देश की एकता की भावना से ले रहा हूं जिसे सरदार वल्‍लभभाई पटेल की दूरदर्शिता एवं कार्यों द्वारा संभव बनाया जा सका। मैं अपने देश की आंतरिक सुरक्षा सुनिश्‍चित करने के लिए अपना योगदान करने का भी सत्‍यनिष्‍ठा से संकल्‍प करता हूं।

भारत माता की जय, भारत माता की जय, भारत माता की ज

Address by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at the banquet hosted for the heads of state / government / delegation attending the Third India Africa Forum Summit

Address by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at the banquet hosted for the heads of state / government / delegation attending the Third India Africa Forum Summit

1. It is a singular honour for me to welcome all of you, Heads of State and Government of Africa, here today, at the heart of the Indian Republic. I welcome you not only as leaders of proud nations but as friends and brothers. India welcomes you not only with open arms but with an open heart.

2. This is a historic evening; it is a memorable moment. A century ago when the construction of this building you see before you began, it would have been difficult to imagine such a moment. It would have been difficult to imagine that India as well as so many African nations would discard their colonial chains, throw away the imperial yoke and one day stand together here to celebrate freedom, democracy and human dignity.

Dear Friends,

3. India is honoured to host the third India-Africa Forum Summit in Delhi and I would like to thank each and every one of you for being part of this Summit. It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s drive which has brought us together for this event. I am supremely confident that the work done during the Summit, the fashioning of a collective vision for the future of our people will be critical in defining the direction and contours of our political and economic engagement. Given that India and Africa are home to a third of the world's population, this engagement is certain to have an impact on the future of sustainable development of the world.

4.Excellencies, the Third India-Africa Forum Summit has been a great success due to your participation and deliberations. Your shared vision and guidance reflected in the two documents that have been adopted by you at the Summit encapsulate the India-Africa strategic partnership as a unique example of South –South Co-operation.

Friends,

5. Ours is a qualitatively different, infinitely richer relationship. We feel the depth of this relationship in our hearts. The bonds between Africa and India are not those which are fashioned by words and statements; these bonds have been forged in the furnace of struggle - the struggle for freedom and independence, the struggle for equality and dignity. We are close because we know what it is to suffer, we know what it means not to be master of one's own destiny. We know what it means to see the flower of our youth languish in colonial prisons. We know what it is to live in poverty, disease and darkness even while our own rich resources are plundered by others.

Dear Friends,

6. India and Africa have special bonds because we understand human history not only in the post-colonial sense but from ancient times. India's ancient civilization, its spiritual heritage, its accomplishments of the human spirit in art and culture give her a unique standpoint from which we look upon the passing world. This is even more true for the continent of Africa, often known as the cradle of civilization, the land where the earliest forms of life were formed, whose ancient rocks contain the secrets of evolution, the land where the human beings as we know ourselves today, first learned to walk on two feet.

Friends,

7. India and Africa understand each other because our lands are the very definition of diversity. Be it physical diversity - from the snows of Kilimanjaro to the deep Sahara - or the multiplicity of religions, ethnicities, tribes, languages, dialects, and cultures. Africa has it all. So indeed does India. For Africa and India, diversity is our lifeblood; it enriches us and makes us even stronger. It ensures that we value coexistence, dialogue, mutual understanding and peace. These are perspectives on the human development that India and Africa share, these are perspectives that we can together contribute to the rest of the world for handling conflicts and crises.

8. Dear friends: The difficult decades may well be behind us, the decades of colonial rule and cruel oppression, of economic deprivation and racial discrimination. But the challenges are far from gone; they have changed. We have still to overcome poverty and disease, terrorism and drug trafficking, lack of education and training.

8a. Terrorism knows no boundaries or borders and has no ideology except that of wanton destruction. India and Africa must work together to address this threat and strive to strengthen the international regime against terrorism.

9. I was the Minister of External Affairs when we started the India-Africa Forum Summit in April 2008. I vividly recall our collective enthusiasm and joy at the inaugural event that elevated India’s traditional warm and friendly ties with Africa to a new level in a structured format. The Third India-Africa Forum Summit is a demonstration of the importance we attach to our relation with Africa. The active participation of all countries of Africa at this Forum reflects the desire of member countries to build an enduring partnership between our nations and our peoples.

10.India and Africa are neighbours linked together by the blue of the Indian Ocean. Our partnership is anchored in the fundamental principles of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit. India commits to assist Africa in charting its own course through infrastructure development, institution building and technical and vocational skill development. India’s development partnership with Africa complements the various priorities setout in the Agenda 2063 vision document adopted by the African Union.

Dear Friends,

11.An area of cooperation very close to my heart and pertinent to our interaction is ‘Agriculture’. I remember well the days before India had its ‘green revolution’ and we were not self-sufficient in food. In those days, we literally lived from "ship to mouth”. Hunger and food scarcity under any circumstance is unacceptable and should lead all of us into collective action. Though India today is self-sufficient in food production, the land available for agriculture is continuously decreasing due to rising population. Africa is, fortunately, blessed with large areas of fertile, cultivable land. It is relevant to recall here the words of Kwameh Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana, who had rightly pointed out that "the Congo Basin alone can produce enough food crops to satisfy the requirements of nearly half the population of the whole world”. Agricultural growth is not only important in addressing Africa’s quest of food security but it also remains a key component of Africa’s overall development. I am sure that the interactions you and your delegations had in the past few days would have discussed collaboration in the areas of increasing productivity; smart agriculture; environment-friendly farm mechanization; promotion of gene pool and better seeds, and other modern agricultural concepts.

Dear Friends,

12. As we have stood together during the days of struggle, so too will we stand together in this challenging dawn of development. India is ready to share its democratic experience, its agricultural expertise, its capacity building potential, its healthcare institutions, its peacekeepers with our partners from Africa. Once again we are determined that our struggle will be based on principles - the principles of equality and partnership, of mutual benefit, of human dignity. For India and Africa, guided by the vision of Mahatma Gandhi who belonged to both, that is the only path.

13. With these words, I once again welcome you to this evening of celebration of India-Africa relations—and the success of the Third India-Africa Forum Summit