Guj, developed in all sectors: Modi

Hyderabad, May 8: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said his state had developed in all sectors, especially in agriculture, in view of several measures initiated by the government.

Addressing the press at Begumpet Airport here during his transit halt en-route to Raichur to participate in the election campaign there, he claimed the state had achieved 12 per cent growth in agriculture despite scarcity of water, in view of the best efforts put by the government to improve agricultural production.

In comparison, the national agriculture growth was only 2.5 per cent against a target of four per cent.

Stating that agriculture needed sophisticated technology to improve the production, he said the government programme of 'lab to land' was yielding good results.

He said the government had also issued health cards for soil testing and the officials would visit all the 18,000 villages and test the soil and inform the farmers on the cultivation and crops suitable for their land.

Mr Modi claimed that milk production had increased by 20 per cent last year and would further improve in future.

Asked about the naxalism and extremism, he said, ''we should have zero tolerance on the issue.'' On US President George Bush's remarks that the middle-class in India was responsible for tje increase in the prices of essential commodities globally, the Gujarat Chief Minister said, ''the Centre has to respond on the issue. There is no comment from my side.'' He denied the reporter's claim of increasing atrocities on women in his state.

''Women are very safe in Gujarat. There are no atrocities on women. Gujarat is last in the atrocities on women as per the reports,'' he added.

UNI