Constitution panel is necessary 8212; President

The draft of the President8217;s address 8212; which is more a reflection of the government8217;s intentions and achievements 8212; was approved by the Union Cabinet last week.

The President also said that the report of the Subrahmanyam Committee which went into the circumstances leading to the Pakistani incursion in the Kargil sector would be placed in Parliament.

On the review of the Constitution, Narayanan said: 8220;While keeping the basic structure and salient features of the Constitution inviolate, it has, however, become necessary to examine the experience of the past 50 years to better achieve the ideals enshrined in the Constitution.8221;

The commission8217;s recommendations would be presented before Parliament which was the supreme decision-making body in Indian democracy, he said.

Attempts were made to disrupt Narayanan8217;s address immediately after he began by slogan-shouting Shiv Sena members who were protesting against the disenfranchisement of their leader Bal Thackeray. Some time later, it was theturn of Bodo National Front leader S K Bwismuthiary to protest against the Government8217;s refusal to consider the demand for the creation of a separate State of Bodoland.

The President expressed happiness about the implementation of the medium-term economic agenda of the Government but voiced concern over the growing fiscal deficit. 8220;This is undoubtedly the most challenging macro-economic management problem faced by us. The deficit reduced public investment, crowds out private investment, raises interest rates and generates inflationary pressure,8221; he said. For India to sustain accelerated growth the growing fiscal deficit needed to be contained, he added.

Similarly, Narayanan also pointed to the financial condition of the States which he described as 8220;very worrisome.8221; In the year 1998-99, the fiscal deficit of the States had gone up beyond Rs 75,000 crore. 8220;This is, indeed, an unsustainable situation. The deteriorating trend in the fiscal position of State governments needs to be urgently reversed,8221; he said.

The Government, he said, was committed to accelerating the pace of economic reforms and broadening their scope. 8220;At the same time, we shall make conscious and concerted efforts to bring the fruits of economic reforms to those regions and communities that have so far not benefitted from them,8221;he added.

About India8217;s relations with its neighbours, the President came down upon Pakistan for showing 8220;no inclination to end its policy of aiding and abetting cross-border terrorism and its anti-India propaganda.8221; He said that there was irrefutable evidence about the Pakistani origins of the hijackers of the Indian Airlines.

On the social agenda of the Government, he said that a national commission on children to promote and channel all efforts towards their all-round development would be set up soon. It had also been decided to launch a 8220;sarva shiksha abhiyan8221; to ensure that every child between the age of six and 14 went to school.