The Voluntary Health, Education and Rural Development Society (VHERDS), a non-government organisation based in Chennai, has sought the co-operation of the Ministry of Rural Areas and Employment to adopt 1,000 villages in the country. Mr. T.P. Radhakrishna, the General Secretary of the Society, said that to stat, with, they hoped to adopt one village in each district of Tamil Nadu, and later on in the whole country. "The plan is to develop them as model villages, free from hunger, disease and illiteracy," he said.