She called for channelising different shades of public opinion through elected representatives for formulation of necessary legislation.
Addressing the Nation on the eve of 65th Independence Day, Mrs Patil pointed out that any legislation passed by the Parliament is an outcome of collective thinking of members who represent people from all parts of the country and broad spectrum of political thought. Mrs Patil, however maintained that there can be discussions and debates among the people for public opinion to emerge, which is an essential input in a true democracy.
Expressing anguish that corruption is affecting nation’s political, economic, cultural and social life, Mrs Patil called for a transparent and accountable system at all levels to curb the menace in a sustainable manner. Terming it as cancer, she exhorted the government, Parliament, Judiciary and society to come together to eliminate it.
President Patil underlined the need for the effective enforcement of punitive action to deal with corruption. Expressing concern over price rise, Mrs Patil said that efforts must be made to find ways and means to soften the impact of inflation, so that the benefits of growth are not blunted. Noting that the country has performed well economically with a growth rate of 8.6 percent last year, Mrs. Patil sought for plugging the loopholes for an even growth.
Highlighting the role of the government and voluntary agencies engaged in the task of eradicating poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy, President Patil reiterated that anti-poverty programmes, social welfare schemes, and a commitment to ensure food security, form the core of government’s inclusive agenda strategy. She said, government efforts need to be supported by voluntary agencies, NGOs and citizens themselves who can be development partners of the Government.
Talking of current uncertainty in the world economy, she said this has to be tackled through co-ordinated global action, as also by suitable precautionary measures in the country. She exuded confidence that the country’s economic fundamentals are strong and its large domestic market can help it maintain steady growth rates.
Pointing out that the majority of population in rural areas were dependent on agriculture, she regretted that agriculture sector is yet to reach full potential. She called for greater use of technology and knowledge support to enhance agricultural productivity. She invited the corporate sector, as well as small and medium enterprises to avail of the many opportunities of working together for mutual benefit. She also called for integration of agriculture with the other sectors for generating positive impulses in other sectors as well.
Expressing anxiety on the decline in the gender ratio in the 0 to 6 age group, she said this reflects bias against the girl child in the society. Mrs Patil said there is a need to work together to eradicate the practices of dowry, child marriage and female foeticide, which the country is continuing to battle even in the 21st Century. She strongly opined that the crime against women needs to be dealt with most sternly. Lauding the role of women self-help groups, Mrs Patil asked the government to take pro-active measures to universalize this movement for women empowerment.
On electoral reforms, Mrs Patil said the demand for state funding of elections and debarring the participation of criminals in elections should be looked into immediately to further enhance the healthy functioning of democracy and to cleanse the system.