The President, Dr. Zakir Hussain, to-day [June 4] asked the people of Bihar to avoid the habit of mass begging and appealed to them to prepare themselves for future work, particularly for the next kharif production. Famine was a natural calamity, which would be short-lived. “We must not lose heart, but work hard to overcome it”, he said. He told reporters at the Gaya aerodrome at the end of his hurried tour of some of the famine areas of Gaya district. “It is not advisable to make the entire population habituated to doles and relief measures for a long time.” Dr. Hussain expressed his appreciation of the relief work now in operation. He hoped more such schemes would be organised with the co-operation of all voluntary organisations. He also urged medical students to go to the villages and take steps to prevent epidemics there. The President, who arrived in the morning [June 4] from Patna, motored 40 miles to Chandsthan and then returned to Gaya. On arrival at Gaya, Dr. Hussain met representatives of different non-official welfare agencies engaged in relief work. He was shown charts, statistics, and maps of the affected region, and given a resume of the relief work. The President saw how it had been possible to grow good summer paddy in a small area at village Sherghatti with power made available for irrigation. The Taichung variety of paddy has come up well in a 30-acre area, where there are tube wells. Drought relief by means of employment in handicrafts was demonstrated to Dr. Hussain at village Chandsthan where he saw women engaged in mass spinning. He distributed prizes for proficiency in hand spinning to several women a dozen old and poor women were given saris.
