President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam at the inauguration of ``Grassroots Summit 2006'' in New Delhi on Friday. — Photo: SHANKER CHAKRAVARTY

NEW DELHI: President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam on Friday recommended that the number of seats in centres of higher education be increased to cater for the requirements of the country's knowledge industry.

Inaugurating a grass roots summit organised by the Press Institute of India here, he said provision of more seats was a "mission" that should be achieved through public-private partnerships.

"In this connection, I have developed a system of global human resource cadre. In the 21st century, India needs a large number of talented youth with higher education for the task of knowledge acquisition, knowledge imparting, knowledge creation and knowledge sharing."

Mr. Kalam, who cited the country's rapidly growing 500-plus million population under 25, suggested that universities set up special cadres to meet future demands, from both within and outside the country, for skilled and qualified youth.

Describing the rural ambience as "a scene of sweat," he called upon the media to devise out-of-the-box solutions and be a partner in national missions such as Developed India, 2020, Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas and the recently launched Bharat Nirman programme.

These missions, together with the Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme covering 200 districts, had the potential to transform rural India.

"Journalists must become partners in the programme of PURA and energy independence mission, celebrate every aspect of success in the nation, particularly in rural areas, work towards promotion of a corruption-free society, help in the creation of enlightened citizens and promote harmony in the nation."

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