india

Updated: Jun 21, 2019 00:01 IST

President Ram Nath Kovind laid out the five-year agenda of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Parliament on Thursday, touching upon priority areas of cross-border terror and national security, issues such as women’s safety and expanding the scope of the controversial national register of citizens (NRC) on a priority basis, and far-reaching constitutional changes such as ‘one nation, one poll’ and amending citizenship laws.

In his customary address to a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha that lasted a little over an hour, the 73-year-old President also set the objective to make India a $5 trillion economy by 2024, announced the government will shortly bring a new industrial policy to boost job growth, hinted at a tougher crackdown on black money, and said the eradication of “social evils” such as Triple Talaq and Nikah Halala was important for women’s rights.

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi formed a panel to examine the issue of holding simultaneous general and state elections — despite disagreement by several opposition parties — Kovind said the staggered system of polls hindered the pace and continuity of developmental programmes and said ‘one country, one election’ was the “need of the hour”.

“The people of the country have given a very clear mandate in this election… by doing so, they have given a mandate for continuing uninterrupted and at an accelerated pace the journey of development which started in 2014,” he said in the Hindi speech, which is drafted by the government.

In the 2019 general elections, the NDA won 353 seats, up from its 2014 tally of 336 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha.

The President chose a car over the traditional buggy for his journey to Parliament in the morning. He was received by vice-president Venkaiah Naidu, PM Modi, and newly elected Speaker Om Birla.

Kovind said empowering every person was the main goal of the government, which, he added, wants to build a ‘New India’ by 2022 in which there is no corruption and no discrimination on the grounds of caste or religion.

He flagged national security as the top priority of the government. “India has amply demonstrated both her intent and capabilities, first through surgical strikes and then through air strikes on terrorist hideouts across the border after the Pulwama attack. In the future too, all possible steps will be taken to ensure our security,” Kovind said, amid thumping of desks by members.

The President said that ‘New India’ will be sensitive and economically prosperous, but for this to happen, “nation’s security is of utmost importance”. He also said the global community stood with India on the issue of terrorism, referring to the recent designation of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.

On NRC, Kovind said the central government had decided to implement the process — currently underway in Assam to weed out so-called illegal immigrants — on a priority basis in areas affected by infiltration, which, he argued, was a threat to internal security, caused social imbalance and squeezed livelihood opportunities.

The President said while on the one hand the government is working to identify infiltrators, on the other, it is also fully committed to protecting those who are “victims of persecution” due to their faith in neighbouring countries. “In this regard, efforts will be made to amend the Citizenship Act while protecting the linguistic, cultural and social identities,” he said.

The President said the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana will be extended to cover 300 million people, a facility for entrepreneurs to avail loan of up to ~50 lakh without any guarantee will be introduced and the credit guarantee coverage for micro, small and medium enterprises will be enhanced to ~1 lakh crore.

He said the government is working “in full earnest” to transform India into a global manufacturing hub. He also announced a National Retail Trade Policy was on the anvil.

On the topic of Jammu and Kashmir, which is under President’s Rule, Kovind said the government is committed to take all necessary steps for the state’s development.

Lauding the election of 78 women MPs. the highest number in the history of Lok Sabha, Kovind said it presented the picture of a new India, and underscoring “women empowerment” as a priority of the government. “The government’s thinking promotes not only women’s development but also women-led development. According the highest priority to women’s security, several effective steps have been initiated with the cooperation of the states,” he said.

He also urged all members to cooperate in efforts to eradicate instant Triple Talaq and Nikah Halala and make the lives of women “better and dignified”.

A bill making instant triple talaq a criminal offence is likely to be introduced in Parliament soon.

He also underlined the government’s infrastructure push, saying the government’s endeavour to build 35,000 km of highways, besides expressways, by 2022 was aimed at laying lay a strong foundation for urban infrastructure that will encourage employment generation.

The BJP welcomed the speech. “Rashtrapati Ji’s address to Parliament was both inspirational and aspirational. It covered several aspects, including our nation’s successes and the challenges that we have to mitigate in the coming years,” tweeted Modi.

The Congress’s Lok Sabha leader Adhir Chowdhury and Rajya Sabha deputy leader Anand Sharma said Kovind’s address was just a repetition of Modi’s speech. “He has missed major points like unemployment and GDP downfall,” Sharma said.

Trinamool Congress will move amendments to the speech during the debate.