We are still more than six years away from 2020. Let's wait and see.
We can be a developed nation by 2020: Kalam - Times Of India
We can be a developed nation by 2020: Kalam
NEW DELHI: After a tenure at Rashtrapati Bhavan which saw him being hailed as the "people's President" and which he used to exhort the nation to set its sights on "superpower" status, APJ Abdul Kalam in his farewell address to the nation said the idea of a developed India even before 2020 had struck deep roots in the popular imagination.
In a presidency where his affinity for youth stood out, and earned him the admiration of millions of schoolchildren, Kalam said the young had begun to drive India's transformation into a developed nation. He, in fact, emphasised that the country can complete the transition to developed status much before 2020 - the time-frame he had laid down for the country to achieve the mark.
"Aspirations of the young to live in a prosperous, safe and proud India should be the guiding factor in whatever profession we contribute," he said.
The President, who hands over occupancy of Rashtrapati Bhavan to India's first woman head of state, Pratibha Patil, on Wednesday, said, "With the ignited minds of our youth below the age of 25, which I consider the most powerful resource on earth...we have to empower the youth through value-based education and leadership."
In outlining his vision of India, Kalam also added that the current pursuit of economic growth must be complimented by efforts to preserve India's "rich and diverse" cultural and civilisational treasures.
In his speech, televised on Tuesday evening, Kalam said he was confident that the goal of a developed India before 2020 could be realised as it was a nation of hard-working people and the power of 540 million youth was bound to assert itself. But he underlined the need to keep intact cultural values as this "..is our duty for our future generations". This task, Kalam said, "has to be done on a much larger scale through countrywide participation of multiple institutions...Every sector of our country has given me the hope that India can become a developed nation well before 2020."
He said he was happy to demit office after "completing five beautiful and eventful years in Rashtrapati Bhavan". He pointed to a wide range of associations he had formed by interacting with people with callings as diverse as politics, farming, home makers, media, students and science and technology.
Not forgetting the armed forces, of which he was the supreme commander, Kalam said: "When the nation sleeps, members of defence teams are awake to guard us. The nation cherishes the valour, commitment and devotion of our defence forces."