Hyderabad, Dec 30 : President Pratibha Patil today said that food security can be achieved only through rapid agricultural growth and multi-dimensional rural development.

Delivering the Golden Jubilee Lecture at the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) here, the President emphasized the need for optimum utilization of land and irrigation to ensure food security.

She said that farmers can be made aware and encouraged to adopt improved agricultural practices to enhance productivity. Implements and methodologies should be such so as to reduce the drudgery and hard labour of farming operations.

Appreciating the key role that NIRD has played for the past five decades in the implementation of various schemes and programmes for the rural poor, Patil asked the Premier Institute to augment its training infrastructure for extending capacity building support to the Panchayat Raj Institutes.

She asked the Institute to develop and share models for sustainable growth for them.

"As a result of social mobilization, there are a large number of Self Help Groups in India today. All help should be given to them also. The NIRD could assist them in channelising their efforts in the direction of productive enterprises and support them in capacity building," she said.

The President further informed that from this year onwards a one-year Post Graduate Diploma Programme in Rural Development Management will commence here.

Its aim is to develop a committed and competent cadre of rural development management professionals in the country. (ANI)