IN CONVERSATION: (From left) Balagangadharanatha Swami of Adichunchanagiri Math, D. Veerendra Heggade, president of the SKDRDP, and B. Nagaraj Shetty, Minister for Fisheries and Endowment, at the inauguration of `Krishi Mela' in Bantwal on Wednesday. — Photo: R. Eswarraj

BANTWAL: Minister for Fisheries, Endowment and in charge of Dakshina Kannada B. Nagaraj Shetty said here on Wednesday that the Government was keen to implement some of its development programmes through Shree Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP), an NGO.

He was speaking at the inauguration of a three-day "Krishi Mela" of the SKDRDP. Mr. Shetty said that the activities of SKDRDP had empowered many women in rural areas. The Government was interested to assign some of its development programmes to the SKDRDP for implementation. The Minister appealed D. Veerendra Heggade, president of the SKDRDP, to cooperate with the Government in this regard. He said that in recent days many religious institutions were involved in rural welfare activities and promotion of education. Earlier this was not the case as religious heads were concentrating only on spiritual activities, he added.

Dr. Heggade, who presided over the function, said that agriculturists were facing shortage of farm labourers. The only way to meet this shortage was to adopt mechanisation in agriculture. The objective of the SKDRDP was to make small and marginal farmers and rural women self reliant and healthy through self-help groups.

Dr. Heggade said that he did not endorse general statements such as agriculture was not profitable and being a farmer was a curse. Balagangadharanatha Swami of Adichunchanagiri Math inaugurated the mela. A.G. Kodgi, chairman of the Third Finance Commission of Karnataka; B. Ramanatha Rai, former Minister; Rajashri Hegde, vice-president of Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat; and M.N. Rajendra Kumar, president of Apex Bank, Bangalore, spoke.

Mr. Shetty inaugurated an exhibition which has over 200 stalls.

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