MITHI, April 1: Prof Abdul Majid Hur, Executive District Officer (Education), Tharparkar, said making primary education compulsory will improve the literacy ratio besides providing opportunity to the off-spring of the poor people to acquire education.

Briefing journalists about the objectives and advantages of compulsory education on Monday, he informed that at least 40,309 textbooks would be distributed free of cost among boy and girl students of Class I to Class V in Tharparkar District.

He said that the taluka and union council Nazims had been requested to complete the task of distribution of books in

their respective areas within a week with the help of local officials of the Education Department.

DONORS: Dr Suleman Shaikh, development consultant, Thar Deep, has invited international donor agencies, the government, philanthropists and NGOs to initiate development projects in Thar to alleviate the miseries of its residents.

Speaking as a chief guest at the annual review meeting of Thar Deep on Saturday, he said that Thar was a totally backward belt, which was frequently hit by droughts.

He said that these droughts created acute dearth of grain, water and fodder for human beings and animals.

Dr Shaikh said that the lack of these things forced the people to migrate to other areas besides giving rise to many diseases.