New Delhi: Voicing concern over the unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday sought to reach out to the people there, saying their grievances have to be addressed and promised talks within the Indian Constitution with those who abjure violence.
As his government weighs options to deal with the situation in Kashmir, Singh emphasised on the need for better delivery of services and generating avenues for economic advancement of the people of the state.
"Unrest in the state of Jammu and Kashmir over the last few weeks is a matter of concern. The youth of Kashmir are our citizens and their grievances have to be addressed," he told top commanders of the armed forces at a conference here.
"We are willing to talk to every person or group which abjures violence, within the framework of our Constitution," he said.
Singh, however, made no mention of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act, whose withdrawal from the state is being sought by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The Prime Minister is expected to discuss this issue at the Cabinet Committee on Security.
Army, supported by Defence Minister AK Antony, is strongly opposed to the revocation or dilution of the law, arguing that the situation in the state was not conducive for such a step.
Antony had articulated these views at the Congress Core Committee meeting chaired by party chief Sonia Gandhi last Friday. The group was divided on the issue, with Home Minister P Chidambaram backing the proposal for partial withdrawal of the special law that gives sweeping powers and immunity to the security personnel.
Hailing the security forces for securing the nation's interest, apart from disaster mitigation, the Prime Minister said the armed forces "deserve the best" and assured them of government's support to ensure this.
"Our armed forces deserve the best and I wish to assure you that the government will make every effort to ensure this.
No country can make progress without ensuring its security and territorial integrity," he said.
Asking the defence forces to set higher standards for their modernisation in view of economy growing and technological capabilities expanding, Singh said, "It is not enough for us to keep pace with change. When it comes to defence capability, we must be ahead of the technology curve."
Terming defence modernisation as "a complex task”, Singh said, "If it is to be effective, it must involve the full chain starting with updating our war fighting doctrines to meet new threats to our security, preparation of appropriate staff quality requirements and creating a broad-based production and delivery infrastructure on the ground."
Noting that border infrastructure was an integral part of defence preparedness, he said this involved not just the land borders, but also ensuring appropriate coastal security for which several measures had been initiated.
"But it is important that all ministries and departments work in close coordination to ensure timely implementation of existing plans. It is necessary to approach this task with a sense of urgency," he added.
Describing Naxalism as "a serious challenge" to internal security, the Prime Minister said the government would do all that was necessary to protect each and every citizen of the country and deal firmly with those, who resorted to violence.
"This is a collective task involving the Centre and the states. At the same time, we have to accelerate our development efforts in the Naxal-affected areas and make our administrative machinery more sensitive and responsive to local concerns," he added.
Pointing out that the nation's strength flowed from the strength of its institutions, values and economic competitiveness, Singh said if India was looked upon today with respect and seen as a force for the future, it was because of the stable and orderly fashion in which the country was transforming the lives of its people.
"Transformation on such a scale, within the framework of a democratic and pluralistic society, has not been seen in the world before. If we succeed, our example will have repercussions for the new global order," he added.
Emphasising the country's "strategic autonomy", Singh said it was "an article of faith" and India was "too large a country to be boxed into any alliance or regional or sub-regional arrangements, whether trade, economic or political."
He said if India had to sustain its nine to 10 per cent growth, it needed foreign capital inflow, both portfolio and direct investment, the best of modern technology and access to markets of the advanced economies and the country had to modernise its infrastructure.
For all this, India needed to maintain a healthy relation with all major powers, he added.
On the global terms, the Prime Minister said, there was a shift of economic and political power to Asia, with the Asia-Pacific region, including the South East Asia needing more attention from India.
"This must seep into our defence and foreign policy planning as never before. This is a palpable desire on the part of the countries of this region to enhance cooperation with us, which we must reciprocate," he added.
Noting that some of the "toughest challenges" lay in India's neighbourhood, Singh said the country would not realise its growth ambitions unless peace and stability was ensured in South Asia.
Describing the nations of the Gulf region, West and Central Asia as "natural partners", he said India had tangible interests in these regions, among which energy security was most important.
"We have to ensure adequate availability of commercial energy to support our growth targets. This requires not only diversification of the sources of our energy imports but also widening of our overall energy mix. It is in this context that we need to operationalise our nuclear energy option, which holds great promise and is a necessity," he added.
Referring to the global economic crisis of 2008, Singh said India had weathered it better than most large economies, as there was a continental sized economy and large internal
market. But the challenge, he said, would be to ensure that growth was balanced across all regions and reached all sections of society.
"Given our youth demographic profile, we will also have to ensure access to good quality education and health services to all. We have to put in place a National Skill Development Mission to empower our youth, which will yield positive results," he added.
Singh also assured the armed forces that the country would accord priority to equipment, training and welfare of soldiers and retired defence personnel.
"We will do all that is necessary to ensure the armed forces attract the best talent in the country," he added.
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