The Hindu Business Line : Committed to taking reform process forward: PM

THE Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, has assured Indian American CEOs in a meeting and prominent members of the Indian American community at a reception that the Government of India is "fully committed" to the pursuit of policies that enable the two-way flow of ideas and opportunities.

Dr Singh remarked that he agreed with his friend Prof Jagdish Bhagwati of Colombia University that "the immigration of talent like yours does not necessarily constitute a `Brain Drain' but in fact help create a `Brain Bank' from which we can draw provided we put in place at home the required policies and infrastructure."

Dr Singh stressed that his Government was committed to "taking forward" the programme of reform and liberalisation that was initiated a decade ago. "What we must appreciate, however, is the reforms we need to re-invigorate our economy and unleash the `animal spirits' of our entrepreneurs and the creative potential of our professionals also involve a transformation of our society and a change of mindset," he said.

"Our accomplishments, although not meagre, pale before what lies ahead. India needs to educate its young, ensure their health, provide every job-seeker reasonable hope, and improve the quality of life of its people. We must emerge as a competitive manufacturing power as well as a knowledge driven economy. These aspirations are increasingly those of the common man," the Prime Minister said.

"The message from the recent General Elections, we believe, was an affirmation of faith in the policies we initiated a decade ago but combined with an urgent plea for a more equitable and socially just development process. I am committed to that process and our Government will pursue policies that restore to India its rightful place in the comity of nations," Dr Singh remarked.

The Prime Minister made the point that he is committed to a reform of the Government, and to increased investment, domestic and foreign, private and public in infrastructure especially in the sectors of power, communications, airports and urban amenities.

"Cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad and organisations like Infosys are already showing the rest of the country the way forward and setting the pace and direction of change. To be able to move at a faster pace we must ensure social and political stability, communal harmony and the fostering of a more inclusive economy and society," Dr Singh said.

The Prime Minister praised the contributions of the Indian community in the US and to India saying that it was a "unique bridge" between the two countries. "In American history, no group of immigrants have achieved as much success and respect within the span of one generation, that too the very first, as have the Indian Americans. Your skills help to make America competitive, your minds are the cutting edge of research, your services in a wide variety of professions enhance the quality of life in this country," Dr Singh said.

Tracing his own migration from the place of his birth under difficult circumstances, Dr Singh pointed out that people at that time had to have faith in the future "for the past was bleak and our present was trying" and that this condition was true for many immigrant communities in the US as well.

"However, you have succeeded here, thanks to the foundation in education and skills your home country gave you and the opportunities for further development your host country has given you. You have echoed the `Can Do' spirit of the American people. It is also for this reason you continue to look back at your home country, at India, with love, affection and longing, albeit with an understanding degree of impatience!" Dr Singh remarked.