Praising the development of Kerala in the past half-century, President A P J Abdul Kalam today said that it should now focus on reaching development to the rural, tribal and hinterland of the state.

He was speaking at the concluding ceremony of the golden jubilee of Kerala's in Thrissur.

Saying that those who were below the age of 30 constituted half the state`s population, President Kalam urged all political parties to bury their differences to ensure the future of the people and the state.

He lauded Kerala`s achievements in education, healthcare, infant care and road connectivity, and said that it should now tap its potential to develop the IT and knowledge sectors.

Adding good electronics connectivity and knowledge connectivity to road connectivity would lead to economic connectivity he noted.

On project PURA (providing urban amenities in rural areas) that has been initiated by the centre, President Kalam said that this project could transform the face of rural India.

He urged the state government to adopt the key elements of project PURA to reach development to the tribal, rural and hinterland, which had lagged urban areas.

He stressed the need to develop world class vocational institutions, telemedicine as a catalyst to transform healthcare quality, bringing down infant mortality rate under 10, horticulture and floriculture and fish processing to generate employment.