PM calls for focus on poverty eradication

Poverty continues to be a major political and economic challenge of the world and a collective effort is needed to eradicate this global scourge, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Saturday

"...The problems of over a billion people living in abject poverty around the world need to be attacked more directly," he said during the course of his speech at the annual debate of the UN General Assembly.

"Poverty remains a major political and economic challenge and its eradication requires special attention and a new collective thrust. This priority should anchor the post-2015 Development Agenda, which should be shaped by the member states so that it enjoys the broadest possible support and acceptance."

The prime minister said that though the issues of peace, security, human rights and governance were important and needed to be addressed, "we will fall short of realising an ambitious post-2015 development agenda if we focus merely on governance issues at the cost of robust economic growth".

"This agenda should not be merely about reprioritising domestic spending, but also about fostering genuine international partnership between the developing and developed countries to bring about change," Manmohan Singh said.

"All of us need the policy space necessary to set our own domestic priorities. No one knows the condition of developing countries better than the developing countries themselves."

He urged the UN to set clear and concise goals and provide practical and well-defined means of implementation, "including adequate flow of resources and transfer of technology, taking the views of developing countries fully into account".

"A meaningful post-2015 agenda must place equally high priority on food and nutrition, health, education, infrastructure, water, sanitation, energy and discrimination against women," the prime minister said.

Stating that India sought to promote inclusive development in multiple ways, he said: "Legislation has broadened access to education and secured rural livelihoods. We are now building the world's largest programme for food security. Digital technology is being harnessed to improve the delivery of public services and benefits to the people."