Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, Union Minister for External Affairs said that expression of intent is not enough, Pakistan should follow it by action.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the 103rd Annual Session of PHD Chamber held to day in the capital.

Mr. Mukherjee said that common minimum programme of UPA Government sought to resolve widening disparity between rural and urban areas.  Besides the 11th Five Year Plan too has inclusive growth and rural rejuvenation as its
central theme and resources are accordingly being allocated for the purposes.

Lacing the achievements of the government towards achieving inclusive growth, Mr. Mukherjee said that the literacy rate in the rural India was also catching up with urban area aided by numerous programme initiatives by the Government.

Mr. Mukherjee informed that the development  objective is being defined not just in terms of increases in GDP or per capita income but broader in terms of enhancement of human being.  This includes expansion of social and economic opportunities  for individuals and groups and greater participation in decision making.  Involvement in rural areas afforded many attractive business opportunities if the private-public partnership was adopted.  Food processing, storage and handling of grains, marketing of the product of village industries specially handicraft are areas were
greater private investment and management expertise can be  profitably employed.

Mentioning about the rural thrust in the development programmes  Mr. Mukherjee said that there was a four year time bound business plan for achieving the identified goals in 6 select areas of rural infrastructure. Scheme aimed to provide electricity to the  remaining 125 thousand villages and 23 million households.  It also aims to constructing 1,46,185
kms of new rural road networks and to provide irrigation to additional 10 million hectares, and to connect all so the network.