Date:03/01/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/01/03/stories/2008010358620300.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Manmohan arrives in city

Special Correspondent

Visits Eastern Naval Command headquarters

VISAKHAPATNAM: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived here on Wednesday afternoon by an IAF aircraft at the naval air station INS Dega.

He was accompanied by Union Ministers Kapil Sibal (Science and Technology), T. Subbarami Reddy (Mines), Prithviraj Chauhan (PMO).

On his arrival, the Prime Minister was received by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Union Minister of State for Defence Pallamraju, Chief of the Naval Staff Sureesh Mehta, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command Vice-Admiral Raman Prem Suthan and others.

A hundred men in radiant white presented a guard of honour to the Prime Minister.

Dr. Manmohan Singh visited ENC headquarters and was briefed on its role and activities.

Later, he visited the Kaveri Gas Turbine Test House at Naval Dockyard, Indian Naval Warship Ranvir and Jalashwa.

He was also briefed on the functioning of submarines by the commanding officer of the Naval Submarine Sindhudhvaj and Sidhuvir and joined about 400 officers and sailors of ENC on board the ENC’s latest warship INS Jalashwa for tea.

FBV plea

The Forum for Better Visakha members called on the Prime Minister on Wednesday evening and submitted a memorandum to him.

In particular, the Forum members CS Rao and K. Bhanumathi appraised the PM about the physical, and occupational displacement being faced by the adivasis in the Agency areas, the fishing communities near sea coast and other weaker sections in North coastal Andhra, as a result of the various mining, industrial and other projects being set up. The Forum has requested the Prime Minister to consider grounding special safety net schemes to help these groups.

The PM appreciated the issues brought to his notice by the Forum, expressed his concern at the problems of the adivasis, the fisherfolk and the other weaker sections and asked the Forum to suggest ways and means of addressing these problems.

The Forum would separately work out the kind of schemes that would provide the necessary safety nets for the vulnerable sections of the society in the present context and submit the same to the Prime Minister’s Office shortly, according to FBV coordinator E.A.S. Sarma.