By IANS
New Delhi : Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday promised renewed governmental thrust in areas like health, education, sanitation and agriculture.
Speaking from the ramparts of the Red Fort in the old quarters of the city, the prime minister said the emphasis of his government in the coming years would be on agriculture and the uplift of the unprivileged.
“I’m touring a few states to personally review the agricultural situation across the country,” he said in the speech, his fourth on Independence Day since he took office in May 2004.
Having seen the halfway mark of his government, the prime minister said his dream was to outline a new vision for a caring India – undivided by caste, creed or gender and bubbling with creativity and enterprise.
He also laid special emphasis on cleanliness and said he would like to see every Indian citizen associated with a national campaign in this area in public places and markets, in villages and slums and in immediate neighbourhoods.
“Let us all take that one extra step to ensure that we live in clean and healthy surroundings. Each one of us can make a difference.”
He also said India wanted to have good relations with all the countries of the world, big and small, and added that the country had already emerged as a bridge between the many extremes in the planet.
“I assure all our neighbours (that) we in India want peace and the best of relations with all of them. I sincerely believe that in the prosperity and well-being of our neighbours lies the key to our own security and progress.”