'Transformation of rural India must'

Bangalore, May 20: Union Minister of State for Planning M V Rajasekharan today stressed the need to transform the rural India if it had to emerge as an advanced economy in this new globalisation scenario.

Mr Rajsekharan in his inaugural address at the workshop on- Netwoking for Rural Productivity here today said that alongwith agriculture growth, it was crucial to achieve rural transformation through the growth of non-farm activities.

Decentralisation of planning and greater access to credit are necessary inputs to provide better quality of life to rural people, he said.

Expressing concern over the fall in agriculture production, he said that there was a need to import foodgrains like rice to keep a buffer stock to meet the emergency in the country.

The workshop was organised by National Productivity Council and Asian Institute for Rural Development.

UNI