Nation needs inclusive growth: Shekhawat
Special Correspondent
TRIBUTES: Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat paying tribute to Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, founder of Banaras Hindu University (BHU), during the 89th Convocation Ceremony of the varsity in Varanasi on Monday.
NEW DELHI: Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat on Monday said the country needed inclusive growth and not mere percentage increase in the Gross Domestic Product.
Delivering the 89th convocation at the Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, he advocated a growth that "uplifts the poor and deprived sections and that which alleviates poverty and bridges the gap between the rich and the poor."
"We need development that eradicates illiteracy, development that provides the common man with access to basic education, healthcare and shelter so that the poorest of the poor can enjoy in full measure the fundamental right to live with dignity,'' he said.
He expressed concern over dwindling rural incomes and insecurity creeping in farm households.
"The problem of farmers' suicides is a matter of grave anxiety that calls for rejuvenating our agriculture, revamping cooperative institutions and taking up programmes for integrated rural development.''
Mr. Shekhawat cautioned that the task of building a prosperous India was not going to be an easy one.
The exponential growth of the country's population and the growing demand for meeting the basic necessities of life such as food, clothing, drinking water, education, health care and shelter within the limited resources were contributing to the complexities of the problem, he said.
He urged the students to be sensitive to the welfare and uplift of the poor. Regretting that the literacy level still remained abysmally low, he expressed concern that as high as 35 per cent of the people lacked basic literacy skills and 53 per cent of the children dropped out at the elementary stage itself.
A disturbing feature of the present system of education and employment was the wide disparities being created not only amongst the rich and the poor students but also amongst students from urban and rural backgrounds.
Mr. Shekhawat urged the institutions of higher learning to foster the spirit of research and enquiry among the students and equip them with requisite knowledge and skills to face the emerging challenges of the 21st century.