Kalam Said

The people of India share the American vision for a better future and would partner the US for making India a modern, developed nation, President APJ Abdul Kalam said this evening in his address welcoming President George W Bush and the US First Lady Laura Bush, to a state banquet at the Mughal Gardens outside Rashtrapati Bhavan.

‘‘The Indian developmental model is anchored in the belief that human progress and human freedom are inseparable...The people of India believe that the US shares their vision of a better future and will partner them in the endeavour to become a developed India,’’ President Kalam said. The banquet thrown in the American President’s honour started at 8 PM.

n his speech, Kalam said the initiatives announced after talks between President Bush and PM Manmohan Singh in the fields of energy, science and technology, agriculture, health and trade affirmed that belief.

‘‘Today, we have convergence on realising energy independence, a very important need for both our countries. Both of our nations can definitely work together in joint programmes through the US-India energy panel,’’ he said.

Pointing out that President Bush’s visit signified the partnership between ‘‘two great democracies’’, Kalam said, ‘‘It will set the stage for a new era of meaningful dialogue between our two countries in every field.’’

About 100 guests, including Cabinet ministers and the Armed Forces chiefs attended tonight’s banquet.

President Kalam suggested that there was a need to look beyond what India and the US could do for each other, and said their partnership would be truly global when they addressed challenges posed by terrorism, energy demand, clean development, natural disasters and pandemics.

Making it a point to indicate that the knowledge revolution that began in America had become a powerful force of modernisation of Indian society as well, President Kalam said, ‘‘Information connectivity and outreach has spread awareness in many countries... Empowering the younger generation through greater literacy levels is the key to our success...India is a natural partner for the US, with its strong tradition of innovation and creativity.’’