Press Trust of India / New Delhi Feb 01, 2010, 18:32 IST
With his government under attack over rising prices, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today bluntly told the states that they should use all instruments in their command to make available essential commodities to the poor and command man at reasonable prices.
Addressing first annual conference of State Chief Secretaries here, he, however, maintained it must be recognised that in a globalised world it will never be possible to insulate the country from the pulls and pressures of international demand and supply.
Singh also utilised the occasion of the two-day conference to ask the bureaucracy to tone up its functioning and to stress the need for tackling terrorism, insurgency and extremism with a firm but effective and sensitive hand.
"The importance of making the public distribution system strong and efficient for making essential commodities available to the poor and to the comman man at reasonable prices cannot be over emphasised.
"There are many instruments at your command and it is expected that you should not be found wanting in their judicious use. On behalf of the Central government, I would take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to assist States in every way we can in all these and other areas," he said.
He asked state governments to devise strategies to bolster food production and tackle shortages of essential supplies.
Singh said there was great scope for improvement in the productivity of major crops and hoped to see greater efforts in achieving it.
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