Pace of growth in rural areas major hurdle in India's development: Pranab Mukherjee

Former President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said that the pace of growth in remote and rural parts of the country is a major hurdle in the country's development and advocated for a 'growth strategy' to make a 'decisive impact on poverty and trigger development'.

"A major hurdle in the development of our nation is the pace of growth in remote and rural parts of the country. A rural growth strategy has become necessary to make a decisive impact on poverty and trigger a development process that combines growth with equity," he said at an event in the national capital.

Mukherjee also said that non-government organisations (NGOs) have a major role to play in bridging the gaps in government efforts and the actual outcomes and accelerate growth in these areas.

"Technology has to be the vehicle to breach the distance not only in terms of geography but also in terms of progress and development. Technology-based solutions must be leveraged to assist interventions in the areas of army, healthcare and education," he said.

The former President said that a strategy of efficient management of land must be deployed especially now when land is increasingly becoming a scarce resource.

"Principles of community development and empowerment have to be adopted to increase the productivity of the land. In present terms when we are approaching an impending climate crisis, an efficient and effective usage of resources has become imperative," Mukherjee said.

"We as a society have to move towards a more circular economic system to eliminate waste generation and promote sustainability," he said adding that climate change and environmental degradation have to be given priority in our development initiatives.

He said that it has always been his vision to create and use his knowledge, creativity and innovation to improve the quality of life and contributing to building an inclusive India.

"I firmly believe that the strength of a nation is reflected in its health and economic status of women, children and young population. As a nation, we are still faced with poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, unemployment and many other social evils," he added.