Anna's route will bring powerful anti-corruption law: Kalam

Former President APJ Abdul Kalam on Tuesday said social activist Anna Hazare's route is definitely going to bring a very powerful law on anti-corruption.  "I believe that Anna Hazare route is definitely going to bring us a very powerful law on anti-corruption one day. But there is no place in jail as all the prisons would get filled up, do you want that?" he asked.

Kalam was addressing the sixth annual Penguin "Beyond 2020: sustainable Development Missions for the Nation." Talking about the value system, he said, "I want to see how many young children can change the value system in country."

The nuclear scientist said, "During 2003 youth started to ask what I can do to change the situation and contribute to the development of the nation.....During the last 6 months I see a further change in the youth, who now say I can do it. This has given me confidence that India will become an economically developed nation by 2020."

The missile man of the country narrated an incident of 1990s, when during his address to a group of children in Ahmedabad a young girl got up and asked him when she could start "to sing a song of India?"

Kalam said he came to understand that the girl's elder brother, who lived in the US, used to give her accounts about the beautiful lakes, roads and prosperity there and she wanted Kalam to tell her when she too can "sing a song about India like her brother was singing a song about America".

Kalam gave new thoughts to ensure how the benefits of the economic prosperity reach the people at the bottom of the pyramid, as also to ensure qualitative and quantitative benefits reach the 700 million people in the 600,000 villages.

He cited need of visionary leaders, like C Subramanium, MS Awaminathan and Vikram Sarabhai. "Visionary leaders are needed today I agree," he said.