VP Naidu releases books on Sir Chhotu Ram

Chandigarh, Sep 19 (PTI):
Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday lauded farmers for not letting the country down during the Covid pandemic, and called for an integrated approach towards rural economy to ensure income security for them. “Our objective should be the overall well-being of the rural society. We need to develop an integrated approach towards rural economy to ensure income security of our farmers,” he said.
Releasing works of Sir Chhotu Ram at an event in Gurgaon, the vice president credited him with major agricultural reforms in undivided Punjab. Improving the quality of life in rural areas will be a true tribute to revolutionary visionaries like him, Naidu added.
Naidu was addressing a gathering after releasing five volumes of ‘Sir Chhotu Ram: Writings and Speeches’ brought out by the Haryana Academy of History and Culture.
He suggested that copies of the publication should be available in public libraries and Panchayat Ghar so that the people could read and learn about the life and work of the great leader. Naidu reiterated the need to modernise agriculture and adopt best practices to make it more sustainable and remunerative. “Building on our past experiences, we must regularly revisit and renew our strategies on agriculture and rural development, and introduce new technologies as part of our efforts to build a self-reliant India,” he said in an official statement.
Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy, and the country cannot progress if villages remain underdeveloped and backward, Naidu said.
He further said that many of our freedom fighters did not get the recognition they deserved, and called for efforts to spread awareness about their life and work.
Observing that the independence movement was not just a political movement, he said, it had a deep social and economic reformist agenda as well. Naidu praised contributions of Sir Chhotu Ram for the cause of nation building.