Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee’s sixth Independence day speech was a mixture of measures for the rural sector as well as infrastructure aimed at creating a development-oriented face ahead of the general elections next year.While the ambitious river-linking plan was revisited, Vajpayee pointed out that the task force for linking of rivers has identified two projects — Ken and Betua rivers in UP and MP and the Parvati, Kalisindh and Chambal rivers in MP and Rajasthan — for implementation before the year end.The modernisation and expansion of Delhi and Mumbai airports through public private partnerships was also on the cards and would be taken up within six months. Similarly, all bottlenecks in the construction of the greenfield Bangalore airport project has been cleared, said Vajpayee.The PM also announced a technology mission for railway safety which will be set up to address safety-related issues. This will be done in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology, IIT Kanpur and a consortium of private sector companies.He also announced the setting up of a 1,000-MW captive thermal power plant at Nabinagar in Bihar by Rail Bijlee Company, a joint venture between Indian Railways and NTPC, at a cost of about Rs 4,000 crore for the Indian Railways.He also promised a new group insurance scheme for workers in the Khadi sector will also be launched. In a bid to boost agriculture development, the PM has promised to launch a national horticulture mission with the target to double horticulture production by 2010.In the education sector, Vajpayee announced the setting up of two new IIT at Jabalpur and Kanchipuram and welcomed private sector participation and contribution from alumni.
