PM pledges to fight terrorism
corruption from top to go
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Oct 16 — The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, today unveiled an ambitious economic and social agenda for a "proud, prosperous India" and expressed his resolve to apply the principle of "zero tolerance" in the country’s fight against terrorism and corruption.

In his first address to the nation after taking over as Prime Minister of the National Democratic Alliance government tonight, Mr Vajpayee said one of the immediate tasks of his Government would be to put down terrorism, which had come to cast its shadow on innocent people.

Sending a "loud and clear" message that the life of every Indian was precious, Mr Vajpayee said the fight against terrorism would be guided by the principle of "zero tolerance".

The same principle would also apply while dealing with corruption and in this regard the Prime Minister said the Lok Pal Bill would be one of the first legislations to be taken up by his Government to check the rot from the top.

In a bid to weed out muscle and money power in the electoral process, the Prime Minister said his government would soon introduce a comprehensive electoral reform bill in Parliament.

Speeding up economic reforms with focus on infrastructure development, introduction of new laws for financial sector reforms to keep pace with the rest of the world, evolving a programme for achieving fiscal rectitude by improved expenditure management, deep tax reforms and a new mechanism for speedier restructuring and disinvestment of public sector units form part of the agenda unveiled by the Prime Minister.

He said that the new century demanded a "new mindset", and the promotion of investment, including foreign direct investment, by adopting suitable measures and removing bottlenecks that lead to costly delays, would be undertaken.

Mr Vajpayee said his government would rearrange priorities of development by redeploying resources and strengthening institutions for providing safe drinking water, primary health services, primary education, rural roads and housing to rural homeless.

In this regard he sought the participation of the private sector.

Speaking about unemployment in the country, the Prime Minister was confident that a buoyant economy would create tremendous employment opportunities. "I am equally confident that our focus on education and health will prepare today’s youth for tomorrow’s challenges".

Mr Vajpayee felt that somewhere along the journey from freedom to the eve of this century, government had lost track of its task of wiping every tear from every eye.

The Prime Minister said the country required a government that would care for every one and his government would work for narrowing the gap between its performance and the expectations of the people.

Describing the mandate of 1999 as a bond of trust between the people and the government, Mr Vajpayee said "we may have been sent to Parliament under the banners of different parties. But we all have a common commitment: To give India a stable and good Government".

The Prime Minister said there was a need to put the acrimony and bitterness generated during the election campaign behind and get down to the task of nation-building.

He said the Opposition’s role in a democracy was no less important than that of the government's.

"Constructive criticism is an essential input for good policies and programmes. Consensus on national issues is necessary for effective action", he added.

He said the country would enter a new era of challenges and opportunities in the 21st century and his government was committed to the emergence of a "new" India in the new century.