Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was bringing to reality the suggestions made by former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in his book, India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium, for the country’s development.
Speaking at the launch of the book Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam: Memories Never Die, organised by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation here, Mr. Shah pointed to three important aspects highlighted in Kalam’s India 2020 — realising the country’s skill and potential; technology-driven development; and balanced growth between rural and urban areas and the agricultural and industrial sectors.
He said that if one looked back, one could see that Mr. Modi had achieved these visions and was taking the country on a path of development. He said that the book, which is a translation of the Tamil book Ninaivugaluku Maranamillai that was originally penned by Y.S. Rajan and Naseema Maraikayar, Kalam’s niece, will help in taking the thoughts of Kalam to people across the country and inspire them to follow his thoughts. The book was translated by Sripriya Srinivasan.
Recalling Kalam’s contributions to space technology, he said the country under the present government had advanced significantly in the space sector and expressed the hope that the country would soon become a leader in it. The way Kalam conducted himself as the President is a lesson for every person entering public life, he said, recalling how the late President paid ₹9.52 lakh out of his pocket for the expenses incurred when his family stayed in the Rashtrapati Bhavan for nine days, though protocol did not mandate his payment.
Highlighting that Kalam had to deliver newspapers as a boy to augment his family’s income, Mr. Shah said the former President subsequently reached a position where the newspapers carried news about him as headlines. Kalam loved to learn and teach and the fact that he died while talking to students in Meghalaya showed his commitment to teaching, he added.
BJP State president K. Annamalai said it was noteworthy that Kalam did his schooling in Tamil medium. L. Murugan, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, recalled the leadership role played by Kalam in the Pokhran nuclear tests conducted by the Government of India in 1998 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.
Kalam’s family took part in the function. Mr. Shah visited Kalam’s house, besides offering prayers at the Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple and Vivekananda Memorial on Saturday.
