Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday said farmers should keep pace with changing times and move ahead with a progressive thought.

During a programme in Rajasthan's Nagaur, he also said "rising drug addiction among young farmers, the tendency to flout rules for easy short-term gains and involvement of youngsters in criminal activities" are matters of concern.

India is a country of farmers and it is because of the "sweat and blood" of a farmer that the economy of the country is progressing, Dhankhar said.

Referring to advancements in farming across the world, including Israel, which has climatic conditions similar to Rajasthan and has partnered with the state in the agriculture sector, he said farmers should keep pace with changing times as well as move ahead with a progressive thought.

"We must go beyond what is happening in Israel, we must go beyond what is happening in the world in agriculture and animal husbandry," the vice president said.

Farmers have always been proactive in adopting changes, he said. On the issue of drug addiction and flouting of rules by youngsters in rural areas, Dhankhar said, "Playing with the law will not only cost them dearly but also bring disrepute to the rural farming community."

"No one is above the law, sooner or later the noose of the law will surely tighten (around them)," he said. The vice president also unveiled a statue of former parliamentarian and freedom fighter Nathuram Mirdha.

Earlier, Dhankhar offered prayers at the Brahma temple in Pushkar town in Ajmer district and visited Veer Tejaji's birthplace in Kharnal in Nagaur.

The vice president along with his wife Sudesh Dhankhar reached Pushkar in a helicopter where they were received by Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) chairman Dharmendra Rathore, the divisional commissioner and other officers.

From the helipad in mela ground, they reached the temple amid tight security arrangements and offered prayers. They later reached the famous Tejaji temple in Kharnal in Nagaur and offered prayers to the folk deity Veer Tejaji.