 "Rahul Gandhi visits late Dalit farmer-scientist Dadaji Ramaji Khobragade's kin, apologises for nation's apathy towards his achievements")
Nagpur: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday visited the family of late Dalit farmer-scientist Dadaji Ramaji Khobragade in Chandrapur, Maharashtra, and apologised for the nation’s apathy towards the farmer’s achievements. Rahul paid tributes before a garlanded portrait of Khobragade at his home, where the walls were covered with several certificates, medals and honours for his lifetime contribution to agriculture. He even tweeted about his visit.
Dadaji Khobragade, a Dalit farmer-scientist, invented the revolutionary HMT variety of paddy. But, he died largely forgotten and in penury.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 13, 2018
I visited his home in Nanded, Maharashtra, to condole with his family and to apologise for our apathy as a nation, to his achievements. pic.twitter.com/DPKJjGbgxa
The Congress chief, accompanied by other senior leaders like Ashok Chavan and Ashok Gehlot, interacted with Khobragade’s widow and children. Khobragade, who had suffered a paralytic stroke, barely had resources for proper medical treatment, though aid belatedly came from the Chief Minister’s Office. He died on 3 June, at his native village of Nanded. During his lifetime, Khobragade was credited for developing 11 high-yielding varieties of paddy, named HMT, after the famed watch-making company whose timepiece he always wore. The HMT varieties of paddy had revolutionised farming in the entire Vidarbha region, but he never got due recognition or financial benefits of his path-breaking scientific breakthroughs. In 2010, Forbes named him among the top seven rural entrepreneurs globally. He was also awarded a medal of honour by the late Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. Rahul, who arrived to Nagpur from Mumbai is later scheduled to hold a chaupal (village meeting) with Nanded villagers before leaving for New Delhi after his two-day visit to the state.
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