Nainital, Sep 22 (UNI) Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today said that the two-day conclave of Congress Chief Ministers would be a milestone for farmers as it will focus on issues relating to the agricultural sector, including suggestions to reduce their rising debt burden.

Mr Hooda, here to take part in the Chief Ministers' Conclave being held from September 23 to 24, said that unless the hard-working farmers become prosperous, the country could not progress.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh were very keen to redress the problems of the agriculture sector, he added.

Mr Hooda said the Haryana Government had provided a number of facilities to the farmers including the highest rate of sugarcane, at the rate of Rs 135 per quintal, remission of registry fee on tractors, increase in land acquisition price and waiving of Rs 1600 crore remaining power bills.

He said that Haryana would present its case forcefully in the conclave. He also said that terrorists were changing their strategy and were making the economic centres their target, as was evident from the recent Mumbai bomb blasts.

''Unless there as proper coordination among all states, the strategy to combat terrorism would not succeed, '' he stressed.

UNI JN PB RS1950