INTERVIEW QUESTIONS-part-2

QUESTION:Sir, you recently supported the India-US Nuclear Agreement, which many don't know if it is good or not for India. Could you explain why it is good and what will India get if this deal is passed?

ANSWERS:Passage of this deal will enable India to get uranium from many countries for the existing uranium-based power plants. It will also accelerate the pace of development of thorium-based reactors using the fast breeder system which will eventually make India self-reliant. It will definitely be useful in our energy independence mission.

QUESTION:How do you view the debate over the nuclear deal which you have endorsed? Does the deal have the potential to emasculate indigenous science and technology efforts, as some critics fear?

ANSWER:The deal has nothing to do with Indian science. Definitely, this deal will put pressure on nuclear scientists and India to become self-reliant in thorium-based nuclear reactors.

QUESTION:Indians recently saw bribe money being brandished in Parliament. All this takes hope away from the people and results in a lack of faith in government. Why has governance taken a backseat? Why has politics fallen to such depths?

ANSWER:People have the responsibility to elect the right type of members of legislative assemblies and Parliament. There is no point showing helplessness after electing the members. Always remember, elect the representative who will work for development politics -- that is national economic development with a value system as the primary goal.

QUESTION:2020, when you had said India will become a developed nation, is now not very far away. What do you see as hurdles in our path? How can they be overcome?

ANSWER:I believe it is essential that economic prosperity has to reach 700 million people who are in the rural areas.The solution is establishment of 7,000 PURAs (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) across the country and graduating our economic development measure from growth in GDP to growth in National Prosperity Index, NPI.

QUESTION:After your term as President has ended, you continue to criss-cross the nation. Do you find any change in the popular mood from the time you were Rashtrapati to now?

ANSWER:What I see is that the youth is restless. They want to contribute to make India great.
The time has come to launch a youth movement for national development. This, I am progressing.