Legislators Praise ICRISAT, February, 2000

"We are very glad to note the good work that you at ICRISAT are doing", declared one Honorable Member of the group of 23 Members of State Legislative Assemblies who visited ICRISAT-Patancheru on 16 Feb 2000. The group included Mr Om Shyrmong, Hon'ble Minister for Rural Development from Meghalaya. They were attending a Workshop on Planning and Management of Rural Development Programmes at the National Institute of Rural Development, Hyderabad.

The legislators met ICRISAT scientists in a discussion of ICRISAT's work in India. Drs P Pathak (Natural Resources Management), K N Rai (Pearl Millet), Jagdish Kumar (Chickpea), K B Saxena (Pigeonpea), B V S Reddy (Sorghum), and S N Nigam (Groundnut) presented brief profiles of ICRISAT's research contributions and partnerships in their respective areas. Each presentation was followed by a lively discussion with incisive questions from the visitors. Dr Nigam moderated the session and Acting Director General, Mr D S Bisht chaired the discussion.

Earlier, Mr Bisht welcomed the legislators from Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Orissa, and West Bengal, and gave them an overview of the Institute and its mission and mandate.
After the discussion, the Honorable Members visited the ICRISAT genebank to see some of the 113 500 accessions of germplasm preserved there.