Photo: M.Moorthy
TIRUCHI: The world looks at India as a developed nation; those (still) describing the country as developing were doing so with vested interest, Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana E.S.L.Narasimhan, said on Monday.
Being Indian was a matter or pride. The country is known for its best human resource, brain, heritage and culture, the Governor said while delivering the Rajaji endowment lecture on ‘Challenges ahead,’ at the National College.
Rajaji, Mr.Narasimhan said, was a unique combination of Karma yoga, Bhakthi yoga and Gnana yoga, known for tolerance, promotion of people-friendly economy and upholding sanctity of constitution.
Describing the country's rich heritage, he said there was a disconnect between the past, present and future. The present situation where people seem to have forgotten the past and had no clue about the future poses a challenge, the Governor pointed out, espousing the need for fostering gurukula ethics.
Calling for sustaining India's pride of place, the Governor said there was a need for second green revolution and seed revolution to arrest migration of workforce from villages to towns and cities. The scope for cultivation needs to be expanded beyond paddy. Sericulture, aquaculture, horticulture must be integrated into farming. Right support at the right time must be ensured for farmers, he emphasised.
On health security, the Governor advocated strengthening of government hospitals to make it available, affordable and accessible for all. Significance of traditional remedies must be realised, he said, observing that a healthy population is vital for the country's economic growth.
Energy security could be achieved by making a shift towards solar, wind and nuclear power generation, since thermal energy causes pollution and there was the limitation of coal shortage.In the absence of environmental security, pollution will hamper agricultural activities.
While emphasising on educational security, Mr.Narasimhan said women's education was of utmost importance. Education must be made qualitative, he said.
The Governor cautioned that cyber security must be addressed in right earnest by making the systems strong. Modern technologies must be adapted to the country's requirement using human intelligence, he explained.
As members of the society, all have the responsibility of exercising franchise before questioning corruption. As the moral fibre has weakened, all have a role in fighting corruption, he said, calling for teaching of moral education right from kindergarten level.
India was capable of rooting out terrorism, which, he described as a menace for the entire world. Spread of wrong information about India's capability to deal with terrorism was condemnable, Mr.Narasimhan said.
College Secretary K. Raghunathan and Principal R. Sundararaman spoke.
Eom