Post News Network
Rourkela, Feb 27: Former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam wants to see India become economically developed in
another five years. Kalam was
welcomed in the Steel City by the president of Rourkela Chamber of Commerce and Industries Dr Subrata Pattnaik Friday. He had come to talk about economic development of the nation in Rourkela and inaugurate the OCL Eye Centre of OCL India Limited at Rajgangpur.
The Centre, opened in the presence of MLA Mangala Kisan, will be a secondary level eye specialty hospital offering examination and treatment of all common eye diseases. To build local
competency, many of the staff are being recruited locally and trained at LV Prasad Eye Institute. The OCL Eye Centre is equipped with all necessary modern eye care equipment.
Full-fledged out-patient care will be
offered from Saturday and a few weeks later, eye surgeries will commence.
In his address, Kalam expressed his happiness at being able to address the RCCI members and people from various parts of the city who had come to listen to him. Kalam talked about developed and developing countries, and discussed ‘how developed countries need to market their products in a competitive manner to remain developed’. For a developing country to become a developed economically or an ‘empowered nation’, it has to market products to other countries competitively by ensuring quality of products, cost effectiveness and timely supply, Kalam said, adding a nation’s economic development is powered by competitiveness. Competitiveness is powered by knowledge which, in turn, is powered by technology, Kalam said. Technology is powered by innovation, and
technology and innovation are powered by resource investment, he said.
Kalam wished that by 2020, India becomes an economically developed nation, and envisaged a country where the rural-urban divide was minimal, where there was equitable distribution and adequate access to energy and quality water.