Development can help raise living standard of poor: Shekhawat

Nagpur, Apr 12 (UNI) Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat today said that development could help raise the living standard of the poor in the country.

Speaking after inaugurating the new building of Shrimati Radhikabai Meghe Memorial College of Nursing and the auditorium of Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences at Sawangi near Wardha, about 80 km from here, in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, Mr Shekhawat said the living standard of the poor could be improved through development in the fields of agriculture, health, education and employment.

Developmental schemes could be more effective if these were drawn up after assessing the needs of the people, Mr Shekhawat said, according to an official release here.

About 26 per cent of the population in the country lived below the poverty line, and could not afford even basic health services, he said.

Earlier, Mr Shekhawat visited 'Bapu Kuti' in Sewagram Ashram near Wardha and paid his respects to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.

The Vice President also participated in a prayer meeting and signed the visitors' register there.

Later in the day, Mr Shekhawat conferred the International Gandhi Award upon Yohi Sasakawa of Japan at a function at the Gandhi Memorial Leprosy Foundation in Wardha. The award has been instituted by the foundation.

Mr Sasakawa has been working for the eradication of leprosy since 1950. In his speech, Mr Sasakawa said he was inspired by the work of his father Royochi Sasakawa. Leprosy had been eradicated from all but five countries in the world, he said.

Earlier, the Vice President arrived here from New Delhi by special aircraft this morning and left by helicopter for a brief visit to Wardha. During the visit, Mr Shekhawat also inaugurated a 'linear accelerator' in the radiotherapy department of Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (MGIMS) there.

Mr Shekhawat returned from Wardha to Nagpur by helicopter this evening, and immediately left for Bangalore by special aircraft, the release added.

UNI