Patil seeks multi-pronged strategy to fight graft

At the conference,which is being held after a gap of three years,Patil touched upon the issue of corruption which has pushed the UPA government on the backfoot. “Corruption stalls development,undermines social progress,undercuts confidence in the fairness of public administration,impedes good governance,erodes the rule of law,distorts competitive conditions,dampens investments and above all hurts the common man the most,” she said.

Asserting that corruption has to be rooted out,she said the “remedy lies in a multi-pronged strategy combining preventive and punitive interventions,including simpler rules,transparent processes,judicious exercise of discretion,prompt delivery systems,better public awareness,public accountability and discharge of responsibilities with utmost rectitude”.

Patil mentioned the “multiple challenges” of terrorism,Left Wing Extremism and insurgency and felt the Centre and the states will have to work in tandem to “fortify the security architecture” and create an effective deterrence to achieve zero tolerance of terrorist activities.

Touching upon other issues,the President asked Governors to play a pivotal role in safeguarding the interests of varied sections of population living in autonomous district councils created under the Sixth Schedule. The role of the Governors acquires greater relevance now since a large chunk of the Scheduled Areas under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution is affected by Left Wing Extremism,she felt.

Patil also mentioned the plight of farmers,pointing out that rural India should be seen as a growth engine and for India to prosper, those living in rural India will have to be economically and socially empowered.

“We must carefully craft policies to pull out our agricultural economy from the trap of low investment,low productivity and rural indebtedness. Suicide of farmers brings disgrace to our country,” she said.