In his second term as prime minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh would like to concentrate on how to enable the country to get rid of poverty.
In reply to rediff.com's question on his role and goals in the second term, Dr Singh said, "I have always viewed that our role as a government is to enable our country to get rid of chronic poverty, ignorance and disease, which still afflict millions and millions of our people."
While praising his government's achievements in the last five years in this respect, he said, "We have made some important gains in the last five years. We managed to impart to our economy a stronger growth momentum, we strengthened the forces which make for inclusive social and economic development and we have put in place social safety nets which soften the harsh edges of extreme poverty substantially."
In view of the fact that removal of poverty is not an easy task, Dr Singh said, "This is a long and arduous journey and our challenge is to take full advantage of the instrumentalities which are now in place for inclusive growth to plug loopholes, to reduce leakages and to ensure that these instruments become more effective instruments of social and economic change, accelerated growth, more inclusive development and more emphasis on rural development and agriculture."
"So it is a continuation of the journey we undertook for five years with renewed commitment, with renewed determination, even though we must recognise that the international environment is not as supportive as we had imagined at one time," he added.
Dr Singh was speaking to the media on his way back from Italy, where he attended meetings of the leaders of G-8, G-8+5 leaders and African countries. He also attended the meetings of the Major Economies Forum on Trade and Climate Change.
In a reply to another question by rediff.com, on what signifies Nandan Nilkeni's appointment (to head the government programme to equip every Indian with an Unique Identification Card), Dr Singh said, "I would like to involve more and more intellectuals in the processes of governance of our country. It is a process, and we have made a beginning and it is my hope that in due course of time, we can enlarge this process. We need all the wisdom, knowledge and experience and there is enormous reserve of knowledge, wisdom and experience available outside the political system. It has to be harnessed in the service of the Indian people."
On a cautionary note, the PM added, "It will be my effort to do so at a pace at which it does not create any side effects. I think Nandan Nilekani's appointment has been widely welcomed and I sincerely hope that in the due course of time, we can enlarge the involvement of top intellectual elements in processes of governance."
At G-8 and G-8+5 meetings, one of the major issues was the deteriorating global climate due to high carbon emissions, mainly by developed countries and also by developing countries.
Dr Singh said, "We are not able to undertake quantified emission reduction targets but we are also quite clear that as citizens of the global economy, we have an obligation to do our bit to control emissions. Therefore, all countries have an obligation to be prepared to depart from business as usual. In my own statement, I said we are quite alive to the dangers of climate change. In fact, we recognise that climate change is already taking place. We recognise our responsibility to do more by way of mitigation as well as by way of adaptation."
Dr Singh presented India's climate action plan and mentioned the eight national missions which India has set up in this regard.
Any efforts to improve the deteriorating climate require huge finances to shift to environment friendly technology.
The PM said that he had told the leaders of the developed countries in Italy, "We are willing to do more provided there are credible arrangements to provide both additional financial support as well as technological transfers, from developed to developing countries, so that green sustainable development can really become an effective instrument of strengthening the atmosphere to tackle climate change."
After taking first-hand stock of the latest debates and counter debates on the issue of climate change in the G-8 summit, Dr Singh agreed that, "This is a huge struggle. I have put forward India's thinking over the matter of climate change in front of world leaders. I believe that our viewpoint has been appreciated a lot. But, it will not be appropriate to say that other countries are agreeing with our views. On the issue of climate change, there is a lot of pressure on India and China. We must counter the pressure and along with that, we should convince the world that as global citizens, we understand India's responsibilities. India is doing whatever is possible to resist climate change and we will continue doing it."
While speaking on the need for expanding the United Nations Security Council, he said, "Today, there is growing support for a change of the international structures and systems, which were put in place soon after the end of World War II. They are not reflective of the current realities of the global structures and global equations. There is a growing support for the view that the Security Council membership should be enlarged both for permanent category members as well as for non permanent category members. And countries like India have a legitimate claim to be considered for permanent membership of the Security Council."
He added, "Let me also say that international relations in the final sense are power relationships. And nobody gives up power willingly. Those who have the power want to hold on, so I don't think an easy solution is in sight. It will have to be a long drawn out struggle and I do believe that we have every reason to feel that in the long run, our views will prevail."
However, Dr Singh didn't give a direct reply when queried about the recent decision of the Delhi High Court to decriminalise homosexuality between two consenting adults. When asked if his government had crystallized its views on whether to appeal against the ruling of the high court, the PM said, "I haven't discussed this matter with my Cabinet colleagues and when I go back, I will seek their views about whether anything further needs to be done or said in this regard."
