By IANS,
New Delhi : Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Monday called on states and the central government to work together to ensure sustainable development, which will “contribute to peace and harmony, and reduce extremism in the country”.
Giving away the IBN7 Diamond State Awards, Kalam said despite many states excelling in human development index and employment generation, the benefits were not reaching the poorest sections of the society.
The former president urged the poorly performing states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to “adopt concrete measures to redress the problems of people”.
Kalam presented the award to Kerala for its performance in healthcare and education sectors. Goa bagged award in the small state category for the measures it took to alleviate poverty, create employment among others.
Home Minster Shivraj Patil, Railways Minister Lalu Yadav and Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy attended the function.
The chief ministers of Goa, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi were also present.