Unveiling a three-pronged strategy to create more jobs, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Friday promised to speed up economic reforms and growth, besides hastening infrastructure development.
The strategy for the future will be three-pronged:
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Promoting productive employment in all sectors, including agriculture;
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Enhancing employability through training; and
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Strengthening social security schemes for unorganised sector.
The prime minister was speaking at the India Today Conclave in New Delhi.
Asserting that raising productivity and profitability in the farm sector was central to the strategy for a 'prosperous and vibrant' India, Vajpayee said the country needed a second green revolution and the government has initiated many efforts in this direction.
"Enlarging and intensifying them will be a priority for us in the coming years," he said, adding that the greatest challenge was to banish poverty, which still gripped nearly one fourth of the population.
"We have started to speed up everything that is essential for making India stronger and more prosperous nation," he said adding that towards this end, the government has decided to speed up growth, reforms of economy and institution, expansion and modernisation of infrastructure, including social.
Recognising unemployment as a major concern, Vajpayee said the nature of employment generation was changing with the changing nature of the economy.
Jobs in government and organised industry have shrunk all over the world, including India, but new employment and self-employment opportunities have sprung up on a large scale in recent years, he said.
He listed housing, road construction and transportation, cottage industries, IT, financial sector, tourism, services and enterprises in the informal sectors as areas where jobs were being generated.
Emphasising that India was increasingly adjusting to globalisation, the prime minister said the world is adjusting to a quiet 'Indianisation.'
Indians and people of Indian origin have earned recognition abroad as political leaders and heads of MNCs, as film directors and sports captains, as editors and authors, he said adding the most prestigious universities of the world have Indians in top faculty positions.
"There are some who do not like to describe all this as 'India Shining.' They would at least have to admit that these facts testify to the vigour and vitality of India's international profile today," he said, adding that 'Made in India' and 'Sourced from India' labels abroad were becoming a matter of national pride.
"Our economic growth and development have enhanced our international standing. Conversely, our network of international cooperation has also provided new opportunities for India's growth and development," he said.
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