JAIPUR: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Friday termed Rajasthan the "brightest jewel of India" on its 58th Foundation Day and expressed confidence that the State would prove a model for the rest of the country.

Mr. Kalam, who joined Governor Pratibha Patil, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Speaker Sumitra Singh, besides thousands of general public and tourists on the Janpath, the grand road leading to the magnificent Assembly building, where a colourful pageant was set, said the well-endowed State had great potential for growth.

Mr. Kalam did not make a public speech but presented a roadmap for the State's progress, in a message addressed to the members of the Assembly.

His "Vision for Rajasthan" talked about number of people living below the poverty line coming to zero by 2017 from the existing 16 per cent and the per capita income going up to Rs.75, 000 from Rs.17, 500. The infant mortality rate, for which the State remains much maligned, would be down to 10 per 1,000 from the present 67.

The President envisaged Rajasthan coming out of the morass of illness by 2017 when the State would be free from water-borne diseases and quality health care would become affordable to all.

The State would then realise 100 per cent literacy from 62 per cent and the Human Development Index would be less than five.

All the citizens of Rajasthan, particularly women, would be empowered with quality education, healthcare and employment potential.

"Rajasthan is blessed with large land mass, natural resources such as minerals and materials, many places of tourist attraction and traditionally brave people with the mighty will and courage to face even severe natural hazards like drought," Mr. Kalam, who himself spent a decade in the desert during the post-Pokhran II days, said.

"With all these resources, Rajasthan has the potential to transform into a prosperous State well before 2017."

The President wanted the citizens of Rajasthan to take a seven-point oath on its Foundation Day: to plant at least five trees and water it with rainwater harvesting, work for the development of the State, adopt the small family norm, teach at least five persons to read and write, conserve water, help tourists and lead a righteous life by upholding the Rajasthani culture.

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