Date:09/06/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/06/09/stories/2003060905740300.htm

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Farmers' plight moves Kalam

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUPATI June 8. The President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, appeared moved at the pathetic condition of the farming community due to the perennial drought. His visit on Saturday to the otherwise green-and-cool Kuppam region, thanks to its proximity to Bangalore, enabled him to take a personal look at the rural facade and the plight of the farmers.

As the event managers allocated a lion's share of the President's two-hour tour to the VIP constituency for the inauguration of a couple of private colleges, his proposed address to the farmers turned out to be a `highly truncated' affair, as it did not last for more than five minutes, thus disappointing the huge gathering of farmers. However, he did not forget to share their sorrow with a few consoling words in course of a brief interaction with them.

The district machinery had arranged a photo exhibition for the occasion on the relief measures being provided to the farmers and the hi-tech developments going on in the constituency. The Chief Minister, N.Chandrababu Naidu, who also happened to be the local legislator, led the President to the stalls and explained to him the various schemes.

Dr. Kalam evinced interest in the stall relating to cattle breed improvement programme of the J.K. Trust Gram Vikas Yojana, floated by the Raymonds group, being run in the district in association with the Animal Husbandry Department. Mr. Naidu proudly informed Dr. Kalam that 14 of the 100 artificial insemination centres in the district were in his Kuppam segment alone. The President was impressed to know that 5,297 crossbred calves had been produced till date in Kuppam alone, thereby mitigating the woes of cattle-rearers to a great extent.

The President was also led to a field where crops were being grown under drip irrigation. Later, he visited a horticulture expo and had a glance at gherkins, a cucumber variety grown and processed in Kuppam exclusively for export purpose.