UPA to continue flagship programmes: President

President Pratibha Patil today said three flagship programmes of the government - rural employment guarantee scheme, rural health mission and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan - have moved the country towards inclusive development and these programmes would be continued further.      

Addressing the joint sitting of Parliament, the President said the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act has proved to be what it promised — an effective social protection measure and the largest programme in the world for rural reconstruction.      

"It's transformational potential is unfolding before our eyes. My Government would enlarge the scope of works permitted under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act presently limited to unskilled manual work," she said.      

Patil said the opportunity for improving land productivity through the NREGA will be maximised through better convergence of NREGA with other programmes.     

"To ensure transparency and public accountability, independent monitoring and grievance redressal mechanisms will be set up at the district level," she said.     

Referring to the National Rural Health Mission, which has begun to strengthen rural public health infrastructure, the President said the Mission would be consolidated to make perceptible reduction in infant mortality and maternal mortality in the next five years.

"Vaccine producing institutes in the public sector will be revived to support the immunisation programme. My Government will expand the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana to cover all families below the poverty line in the next five years," the President said.      

She said malnutrition has emerged as a major health challenge needing urgent response and hence the nutrition delivery programme will be comprehensively revamped to bring it under the watch of panchayat institutions and move to provision of hot cooked meals in anganwadis.      

Patil said the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has been able to provide access to children to elementary schools and retention has increased on account of the universal mid-day meal programme.      

"The focus will be on making quality education a right through the enactment of the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill now under consideration of Parliament. The Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan will universalise access to secondary education," she said.      

The President said massive expansion in higher education through new institutions under implementation in the Eleventh Plan will enable the country to meet the challenge of education in full measure.

Patil said in the last five years, a wide range of scholarships and educational loans was introduced for the needy and deserving students and this effort will be reviewed and further strengthened.      

"Government's strategy for higher education will be formulated around a three-fold objective of expansion, inclusion and excellence. The suggestions given by the National Knowledge Commission will guide the formulation and implementation of the strategy," she said.