I am indeed delighted to participate in this Global Dharma Conference. I greet the organisers, eminent spiritualists, distinguished and enlightened personalities and the youth participating in the Conference. I consider that this Conference will provide us an opportunity for introspection and mid-course correction to realise the concept of Universal Brotherhood.

In every country national development, which is a collective process, has to be accomplished through the constructive efforts of enlightened citizens, who practice righteousness in all their activities. The evolution of enlightened human beings is indeed a big challenge for the world community. I was asking myself, what will be the components of such a mission? There are three components to that. ? The first component is education with value system, second religions graduating into spiritual forces to bring universal brotherhood and the third is poverty eradication by attaining economic prosperity through a national vision. And it has to be done in every country in an integrated way with link to the world.

Education with value System

As you all know I am holding the post of President of India for the last one year. During this period I met a number of religious leaders, visited religious institutions and many academic institutions, schools and villages. Particularly I have interacted with 2,00,000 high school students and a number of teachers. I would like to talk to you my random thoughts with the hope; they lead us to a happy state, happy country, happy world, happy people. The topic of my discussion with you is "Enlightened Citizens".

Children are nearly 300 million that is 1/3 of our population at any point of time and their learning process takes places during their education phase. The children work and live in the school for about 25000 hours before they complete 10+2. Though the whole learning process takes place in the school campus, the value addition to the learning process has to be provided by father, mother and the school teacher.

What can I do for you?

Every one of us has gone through the various phases of education from childhood to profession. A scene appears in front of me. A child, a teenager, an adult and a leader. How does each one react to a particular situation? The situation is human need. The child asks, "What can you do for me"? The teenager says, "I want to do it alone". The young person proclaims, "let us do it together". The leader offers, "What can I do for you". So, the principals have got a tremendous responsibility to transform a child into a leader - the transformation of 'what can you do for me' to 'what can I do for you'. That will demand a principal to be a visionary with an inspiring capability. Also the principal has to ensure that teachers impart learning to the children in such a way as to bring out the best in them and for this, he has to be a good teacher himself. I am sure, the best of creativity among the students will emerge by integrated influence of principals, teachers, and parents on students.

Righteousness

Recently, I heard a hymn in the divine campus which I would like to share with you. The name of the hymn is 'Peace in the World':

Where there is righteousness in the heart

There is a beauty in the character.

When there is beauty in the character,

there is harmony in the home.

When there is harmony in the home.

There is a order in the nation.

When there is order in the nation,

There is peace in the world.

Friends, we can see a beautiful connectivity between heart, character, nation and the world. How to inject righteousness in the human heart? This is indeed the purpose of human creation - that is divinity. We are going through a complex situation as many of us are completely at war with ourselves, with society and with nation. At every instant there is a war in our mind, whether we should go in one direction or another. Whenever there is a dilemma, we must seek the wisdom from the Almighty to lead us to the path of righteousness through education with value system.

Religion transforming into spirituality

A message I have received from my extensive travels within my country is that most Indians experienced and old, energetic and middle-aged, young and innocent, they all look to religion for solace and safety. I have also visited great many religious places and houses of worship throughout the length and breadth of this great country and I have met many of our religious leaders. The religions are like exquisite gardens, places full of surpassing beauty and tranquility, like sacred groves filled with beautiful birds and their melodious songs. I truly think that religions are beautiful gardens. But they are islands.

They are enchanting islands, veritable oasis for the soul and the spirit. But they are islands nevertheless. However, if we can connect all these islands with love and compassion, in a 'garland project' for the new millennium, we will have a prosperous India and thereby the happy world in front of us. The Nations will target development milestone in a spirited environment instead of spending tremendous energy and time in problems initiated by small aims.

Message from Tawang

Can the peace come free of cost without working for it. Peace has a cost, what is that?. I would like to share with you an important message which I experienced very recently, when I was visiting Arunachal Pradesh. I happened to spend a day in a Tawang Budhist Monastery, which has 400 year old history, located at an altitude of 3000 meters - a beautiful spiritual environment. There, I met a gathering of monks, students, teachers and political leaders. I saw bright young faces with an urge to learn with creativity. Unique peace was engulfing in the monastery and surroundings. It looked to me that the message was part and parcel of students and teachers community. What is that message? I was asking myself. Who can enlighten and explain the message? I sought the help of the chief of the monks at the Tawang Monastery. I asked, "Your Holiness, can you explain the message, with your vast experience in this Monastery, the most important part of learning - particularly in the present environment of our country and the other planet". The respected Buddhist Monk told me, "India is a nation of peace. India will live as a spiritual and peaceful nation. Peace should engulf our nation. This monastery spreads: when you remove "I" and "ME" from your mind, you will eliminate ego; if you eliminate ego, hatred towards fellow human beings vanish; If hatred goes out of our mind, violence will not spring from human mind and the society, then peace alone will blossom. I bless my nation". This divine message how to remove violence from society, was born in Tawang Monastery and is reverberating in my mind. Tawang message is for education, vision and religion.

Developed India : 2020

The third and most vital component is the poverty eradication by attaining economic prosperity resulting in high employment potential. This model will vary nation-to-nation depending on the core competence of the particular nation. This will be through the second vision for the nation. How we can prepare ourselves to this challenge?

To become a developed India, the essential needs are (a) India has to be economically and commercially powerful, at least to be one of the four top nations in terms of size of the economy. Our target should be a GDP growth of 9% annually and that the people below poverty line to be reduced to near zero from 260 millions. (b) near self-reliance in defence needs of weapon, equipment with no umbilical attached to any outside world. (c) India should have a right place in world forums. Technology Vision 2020 is the roadmap to realise this cherished mission.

The vision identifies five core areas for an integrated action. They are (1) Agriculture and food processing - The target of 360 million tons of food from the present 200 million tons and creation of food processing industries with enhanced productivity. Other areas of agriculture and agro food processing would bring prosperity to rural people and speed up the economic growth. (2) Reliable and quality electric power for all parts of the country. (3) Education and Healthcare - we have seen, based on one experience, education and healthcare are inter related. (4) Information Communication Technology - This is one of our core competencies. We believe, this area can be used to promote education in remote areas and also to create national wealth. (5) Strategic sectors - This area, fortunately, witnessed the growth in nuclear technology, space technology and defence technology and we have further programmes in critical technologies.

Networking of rivers

Indian rivers experience heavy flood every year. Inflow of flood is from neighboring countries. We have to harness this water so that flood and drought can be managed. Networking of rivers is essential for flood and drought control, for availability of drinking water to all regions, for goods navigation and transportation and for increased power generation and cultivation of land. This mission will also provide employment opportunities to the rural population. Science and technology and industrial strategy can surely help in executing such a mission. Remote sensing to survey and evolve optimum water routes, environmental mapping and afforestation requirements, and continuous monitoring of the networked water flow through all seasons and at all times may require a dedicated satellite constellation for our networked river systems. Above all, the networking will lead to enhancement of environment and national connectivity. The Government has constituted a task force to draw the total plan of this mission so that it can be implemented urgently.

PURA - Providing Urban amenities in Rural Areas

One of the mission of Developed India 2020 is PURA. This mission envisages creation of rural wealth and prosperity. The model envisages a habitat designed to improve the quality of life in rural areas and make special suggestions to remove urban congestion. Physical connectivity by providing roads, electronic connectivity by providing reliable communication network and knowledge connectivity by establishing professional institutions and vocational training centers will have to be done in an integrated way so that economic connectivity will emanate. The PURA has to be a business proposition economically viable and managed by entrepreneurs and small scale industrialists, as it involves education, health, power generation, transport and management. Government's support should be available in empowering such management agencies in providing initially economic support and finding the right type of management structure and the leaders to manage.

Conclusion

Reverence for life is indeed possible in real sense if a philosophical thought of reverence can be transformed into actions by empowering different components of the society. When a child is empowered by the parents at various phases of growth, the child gets transformed into a responsible citizen. When a teacher is empowered with knowledge and experience, good young human beings with value systems emerge. When an individual or a team is empowered with technology, transformation to higher potential for achievement is assured. When a leader of any institution empowers his or her people, leaders are born who can change the nation in multiple areas. When women are empowered, society with stability gets assured. When the political leaders of the nation empower the people through visionary policies, the prosperity of the nation is certain. When religions are empowered and become spiritual force, peace and happiness will blossom in people's heart. Such an empowered stage will lead to creation of enlightened citizens with value system. Evolution of enlightened citizens with combination of education with value system, religion graduating into spiritualism will enable us to realize our vision of Developed India 2020. And it is universal, for other countries in the planet.

My best wishes and greetings to y

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