SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA, SMT. PRATIBHA DEVISINGH PATIL, AT THE CIVIC RECEPTION

Tura, Meghalaya, 23rd October 2008

Ladies and Gentlemen,

My greetings to all of you. It was always my desire to visit Meghalaya. In the two days I have been here - I was in Shillong yesterday and today I am in Tura, I have been deeply impressed by the beauty of the State, its undulating hills, meandering rivers and its lush green forests. I have been touched by the hospitability and the warmth of the charming and friendly people of this State and your area and the people of the Garo Hills.

As our nation continues its quest for growth and spreading prosperity, we must all work collectively. All states and all regions are a part of this effort to build India as a strong and democratic country, in which its citizens belonging to different religions, following different cultures and speaking different languages, all live together in peace and harmony. Differences must be resolved in a democratic manner through dialogue and discussions. These are the paths and principles that we must follow in building our nation.

Meghalaya has completed 36 years as a full-fledged State. I believe that its rich natural resources and its talented people provide it with a sound basis of growth. In order to have growth that is sustainable, it would be important to build infrastructure in a manner that overcomes the obstacles of low connectivity and difficult hilly terrain. Equal focus should be on building the skills and capacity of the people who would be the drivers as well as the beneficiaries of growth. It is important that growth is inclusive and is responsive to the needs of all, particularly the weaker sections. Meghalaya's future economic growth must pursue agriculture, agro-industries, employment opportunities, environment protection, building infrastructure networks and industrial progress in a sustainable manner.

I am told that 80 percent of the population lives in the rural areas and is dependent on agriculture for its livelihood. Moreover, about 50 percent of the villages, scattered throughout the State, have populations of less than 200 people. In such a scenario, villages should be developed as self-sufficient units with communities adopting an integrated approach to growth. A comprehensive way forward should be to look at ways to increase agricultural productivity through better cropping patterns, using high yielding seeds and scientific water management. Agro-processing units, including small home based and co-operatives units, would add value to agricultural products and make it easier to transport them to markets. Hence, I would place strong emphasis on post-harvest management and processing, to make agriculture a higher income generating activity.

I am glad that Meghalaya is looking at horticulture and floriculture as lead sectors. Its climate is conducive for growing many different kinds of flowers and fruits including the exotic variety. The State is home to some of rare kinds of banana and citrus plants. It is host to nearly 300 varieties of orchids and 700 odd varieties of medicinal plants. I am told that Meghalaya's turmeric is one of the best in the world. Tribal communities have for long been using traditional methods of medicine. These age old practices must be preserved as a part of the traditional knowledge of the country. Scientific development of medicinal herbs can be a very important source of revenue, along with plantation crops like cashew, fruits like orange, strawberry, pineapple and flowers like orchids, liliums and anthurium.

The State receives very high rainfall and has some of the wettest places in the world. Even though it is a high rainfall area and has several rain based rivers, many of them are seasonal. This results in the State suffering from water scarcity for part of the year. Rain harvesting and aquifer re-charge as well as creation of water storage capacity, including check dams and ponds in villages would be essential to ensure stability of water supply. This would require capacity building and creating awareness at the local level. At the same time the State should look at exploiting its water resources for the generation of hydro-electric power for which it has a huge potential for about 3,000 MW. The development of other economic sectors will depend on their power requirements being met. Investment in the power sector, including through a public-private partnership should be explored.

Meghalaya can also develop itself as a tourist destination. Tourist circuits could be developed which will introduce travelers to its breathtaking landscape, its rich bio-diversity and its tribal culture. Your culture has a large collection of folktales and countless folk dances and songs. Music and dance are an integral part of life here as indeed are fairs and festivals. All this has great attraction for visitors. Tourists invariably buy local products and special places, where a range of handicraft products made in Meghalaya can be displayed and marketed, would be a major attraction for the visitors. However, for tourism to be a success, related infrastructure and other facilities must be developed.

I am sure and aware that the State is concentrating on developing its road and air networks. I would later in the day be inaugurating Baljek airport which is a critical infrastructure facility for the development of the North-Eastern region. However, while constructing roads and building industry the fragile eco-system should not be disturbed. You have long lived in harmony with nature and continuation of this will maintain the ecological balance in the hills of Meghalaya.

The State Government must strive for the enhancement of the well being of its people especially through the provision of educational avenues including diversified training for skill development, generation of employment opportunities and insuring availability of health facilities.

It is important to spread the benefits of education to every girl and boy at the primary level and to every man and woman, seeking higher education. It is only then that we can have a strong base for sustainable growth. I am happy that the State Government plans to develop Meghalaya into an Educational Hub which will attract institutes of excellence at various levels for diverse sectors.

I urge our young people to be cautious and avoid becoming victims of drug addiction. They should be made aware of the negative fall outs of drug consumption through awareness campaigns.

I have always spoken about empowerment of women and improving their status in society. The existence of the matrilineal system in Meghalaya has given women a place of primacy. I am told that this structure arises out of feeling that the mother is the source of their race, who gives the very best that life needs to grow and prosper. However, I would emphasis the need for women to be educated and to look at income generation activities.

When I leave Meghalaya, the memory of its beauty and people will remain etched in my memory for long. I hope that Meghalaya's passage into the future will result in enhancing local and national prosperity. The progress of Meghalaya is the progress of India.

Thank you,

Jai Hind