PM asks states to act to check prices

New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) With his government under attack
over rising prices, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Monday bluntly told the states that they should use all
instruments in their command to make available essential
commodities to the poor and common man at reasonable prices.
Addressing first annual conference of State Chief
Secretaries here, he, however, maintained it must be
recognised that in a globalised world it will never be
possible to insulate the country from the pulls and pressures
of international demand and supply.
Singh also utilised the occasion of the two-day
conference to ask the bureaucracy to tone up its functioning
and to stress the need for tackling terrorism, insurgency and
extremism with a firm but effective and sensitive hand.
"The importance of making the public distribution system
strong and efficient for making essential commodities
available to the poor and to the comman man at reasonable
prices cannot be over emphasised.
"There are many instruments at your command and it is
expected that you should not be found wanting in their
judicious use. On behalf of the Central government, I would
take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to assist
States in every way we can in all these and other areas," he
said.
He asked state governments to devise strategies to
bolster food production and tackle shortages of essential
supplies.
Singh said there was great scope for improvement in the
productivity of major crops and hoped to see greater efforts
in achieving it.
On the price situation, Singh said the experience in the
past two years has brought to the fore importance of food
security and the need for containing prices.
"For some time past, there was, if I may say so, a false
sense of security that availability of food has ceased to be a
concern. Similarly many felt that we have been able to control
prices," he said adding growing population and higher levels
of living necessitated augmentation of food supplies.
On newer challenges confronting the administrators, the
Prime Minister said people today resent "apathy, sloth and
corruption in any form and at any level of government more
than ever before".
He said the rising expectations of the people made them
impatient with the speed at which results were delivered by
the government.
"Governance today has become extremely complex... There
is clamour for accountability from all quarters - the
legislature, the judiciary and the media," he said.
The Prime Minister said it was one of the primary
responsibilities of any government to ensure the rule of law
and an atmosphere of peace and communal harmony for rapid
economic growth.
"The law and order machinery has to be sensitized to the
key security concerns that affect us. Terrorism, insurgency
and extremism need to be tackled with a firm but effective and
sensitive hand," Singh added. PTI MS
RBT