Dr U S Awasthi who has been undertaking a massive farmers’ connect campaign across India is a tireless man. So far in a month and a half he has visited fourteen locations and is still on the move. Responding to a query if he felt fatigued from this correspondent, he explained why he does not feel fatigued at all.
“You feel tired if you are not doing something of our liking but for me meeting farmers and cooperators is actually interesting and soul nourishing”, he said on the sidelines of a social function in Dehradun.
“I have undertaken only 14 trips so far and I look forward to meeting farmers in more than 100 locations spread across the country; I am excited to the hilt”, Dr Awasthi noted.
The occasion was wedding in the family of Uttrakhand cooperator Pramod Kumar Singh. Singh is on the board of both IFFCO and NCUI. Besides Awasthi and IFFCO Board members, several leading cooperators including Bijender Singh, Sunil Singh, Mudit Verma and others had come to bless the new couple.
It feels good when you meet farmers and try to make them aware of things useful to them, said Awasthi who has of let been stressing on cashless transactions in rural areas. IFFCO has also been organizing workshops for educating cashless transaction to farmers. Several of the union ministers have participated in these functions.
“It is a unique campaign and you must participate in one or two to have a feel”, said IFFCO media head Harshendra Singh Verdhan, to this correspondent. Farmers in huge numbers turn out to hear him and our MD is so spontaneous, said Harsh who has been part of the team accompanying the MD during his rural sojourns.
Most of the top-notch local cooperators usually come to welcome Awasthi wherever he goes. In Gujarat Amul Chairman and NCUI Vice-President G H Amin, Ramsinh and others participated in his show. The story is the same everywhere, said people accompanying him.
It’s a unparalleled connect campaign as it aims to bring all the cooperators on one platform. Our MD has been attracting them like a magnet, said a proud IFFCO official.
Dr Awasthi who has been shuffling his life between important social commitments and farmers’ connect campaign attended the wedding with his entire team led by Chairman B S Nakia. Utilizing the time they also held a state marketing meeting at Dehradun in the day.
Earlier, he had to postpone his trip in Tamil Nadu in the wake of Amma’s demise. He also made himself available for FAI’s seminar held earlier in Delhi inaugurated by union minister Ananth Kumar. But his more than 100 trips which he plans to undertake in the year keep him excited as was clear from his narration.