There should be no effort, consciously or otherwise, that will lead to the erosion of institutional credibility and authority.
India seeks to be a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council... things like this don't happen automatically, you need constant dialogue and discussion with the world.
Parliament of the country is the repository of the sovereign will of the people, and its successful functioning is a joint responsibility of both the government and the Opposition.
When I was put up as a candidate for this, I was a political person. But after becoming the president, I become non-political, a-political, because president does not then belong to any political party.
A paradigm shift, where, in addition to physical inputs for farming, a focused emphasis placed on knowledge inputs can be a promising way forward. This knowledge-based approach will bring immense returns, particularly in rain fed and dry land farming areas.
Our foremost priority is the removal of poverty, hunger and malnutrition, disease and illiteracy. All social welfare programmes must be implemented efficiently. Agencies involved in the delivery of services should have a strong sense of duty and work in a transparent, corruption-free, time-bound and accountable manner.
