The Prime Minister has asked the states to take measures for increasing food production. Addressing the first annual conference of the Chief Secretaries in New Delhi on Monday, Dr. Manmohan Singh reaffirmed Centre's commitment to assist States in everyway it can. Regretting the complacency due to over confidence on food security, Dr.Singh said the present situation demands immediate steps by state governments to forge appropriate strategies to bolster food production and tackle shortages of essential supplies enhance food production.<br/><br/>The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of making public distribution system strong and efficient to ensure availability of essential commodities to the common man at reasonable price.<br/><br/>Observing that inclusive growth was the centre-piece of government's development process, he referred to schemes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Programme, the National Rural Health Mission, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, the new 15-Point Programme for Welfare of Minorities and Bharat Nirman.<br/><br/>He said the administrators must ensure that these programmes were implemented in the spirit in which they have been conceived, that road blocks are cleared rapidly, that leakages are plugged and the people get what is intended for them in the quickest and the most efficient manner.<br/><br/>AIR correspondent reports, the conference is aimed at institutionalizing the process of interaction with States and Union Territories.<br/><br/>Pointing out that the country's agricultural productivity still ranked far below the best in the world, the Prime Minister asked state governments to focus their energy on it since there was a great scope for raising the output of major crops.<br/><br/>Doing some plain speaking on newer challenges confronting the administrators, the Prime Minister said people today resent apathy, sloth and corruption in any form and at any level of government more than ever before.<br/><br/>Cautioning against the slow delivery of results by the government, the Prime Minister said that the administrative machinery has to be geared up to meet the rising expectations of the people.<br/><br/>Feeling an urgent need by the government for increased dialogue between the state governments, union territories and the Centre, the conference may be taken as a precursor to the Chief Minister's meeting this month.