Date:16/08/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/08/16/stories/2004081603740300.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Others

Agricultural tech mission on the anvil

By Our Correspondent

CHITTOOR, AUG. 15. The Agriculture Minister, N. Raghuveera Reddy, unfurled the national flag at Police Grounds here on Sunday in connection with the Independence Day celebrations. Chief whip N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, district Collector, S. S. Rawat and Superintendent of Police. V. V. Gopalakrishna participated.

The Minister paid rich tributes to freedom fighters like Ananthasayanam Ayyanagar Peddi Reddy Thimma Reddy, Srinivasa Iyyangar, RBR Ramakirshnamaraju Vajravelu Chetty and Viswanatham of Chittoor.

He said the Chittoor Sugar Factory and Co-op Milk Diary would be revived to help 1 lakh marginal and small farmers as per the Congress' poll promise.

Later, speaking at a press meet, he said Agricultural Technology Mission would be established in the State under which agriculture and allied departments would function. He said Rs. 30 lakhs had been distributed as compensation to 4,500 farmers in 12 mandals who had complained of substandard groundnut seed supplied by the department.