CM greets Dr Manmohan Singh on his 77th Birthday

Hyderabad|India|September'2009: India is on the threshold of becoming a developed nation under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and able guidance of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, said Chief Minister K Rosaiah.

Extending his warm greetings to Dr Manmohan Singh on the occasion of his 77th birthday on Saturday, the Chief Minister in a message described the Prime Minister as a great economist, thinker and a scholar. “Dr Manmohan Singh is highly regarded for his diligence and academic approach to work, as well as his accessibility and his unassuming demeanour. His pro-people, pro-poor, pro-peasant policies for inclusive growth are guiding the country in the right direction,” the Chief Minister said.

Mr Rosaiah said Dr Manmohan Singh had special affection for the people of Andhra Pradesh. He reminded that the Prime Minister had inaugurated NREGP, the flagship programme of the UPA government at Anantapur district and most recently, sanctioned the prestigious NTPC-BHEL Mannavaram Project at Srikalahasti in Chittoor district, despite tremendous pressures from other States.

He said in the last five years, Dr Manmohan Singh had focused on reducing the fiscal deficit, providing debt relief to poor farmers, extending social security programs and advancing the pro-industry economic and tax policies that have launched the country on a major economic expansion course. The country had made rapid strides in fulfilling the dreams of farmers, educated youth, women and minorities, SCs, STs and BCs.

The Chief Minister said under the leadership of Dr Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, several path-breaking legislations like NREGA, Food Security Act, Forest Rights Act and RTI Act were enacted. The Rural Health Mission launched during the UPA regime had mobilised half a million community health workers.

Similarly, the Bharat Nirman programme taken up by the Manmohan Singh government brought about a comprehensive and sustained development of infrastructure in villages, resulting in arresting migration of poor and gainful employment to all the eligible persons.

The Chief Minister said Dr. Singh is a recipient of honorary degrees from many universities including the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford. The way Dr Manmohan Singh handled Indo-US Nuclear deal only shows his commitment towards safeguarding the interests of the country. He was even ready to relinquish the post of the PM for the sake of the country, thereby proving true the saying that “a politician thinks of next election while a statesman thinks of the next generation,” the Chief Minister said.