Endorsing the 2020 vision paper of the country, the President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, emphasised the need to double the growth rate from the current GDP 4.5 to 9 per cent to eradicate poverty and illiteracy. Enumerating the five important aspects, Dr Kalam said if the country was to achieve 9 per cent growth there was a need to take up the major project for linking rivers, diversifying agriculture, set up modern food processing, improve education and healthcare, invest in communication and information technology infrastructure and to become self reliant in the field of science and technology so that India could join the group of developed nations as envisaged in the 2020 vision paper.