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Low output sparks bullish trend in basmati
Old gunny bags being used to stack paddy in Muktsar
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They’ll wait for buyers on Divali too
Badal, Capt greet people
Mittal, Navjot at loggerheads over sting operations
Revamped services boost revenue of postal department
No festivity at Amritsar boy’s house
Badal village modernisation plan sinks into trouble
Stubble fire-fed smog makes life tough in Malwa
Govt yet to decide on Centre’s bailout package offer to debt-ridden PSPCL
Publishers accuse Education Dept of favouritism
Divali bonanza: 7% DA hike for govt staff
PAU inks pact with Mexico wheat centre
Sukhbir hopeful of Sarabjit’s early release from Pak prison
Engineering student’s body found
Two found dead at Nawanshahr
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Low output sparks bullish trend in basmati
Faridkot, November 12 The price of basmati, which had fallen to Rs 1,500-Rs 1,600 per quintal last season, is witnessing a bullish trend this season with a rise of Rs 700 to Rs 900 per quintal. PUSA 1121, one of superior variety of Basmati, which had fetched the farmers between Rs 1,500 and Rs 1,600 per quintal last season, is fetching as high as Rs 2,461 per quintal in Kotkapura market of Faridkot. About 7,000 quintal of basmati crop reached Kotkapura mandi a couple of days ago. The basmati growers faced no problem in selling and lifting of their crop. However, paddy growers have faced huge troubles in selling and lifting of their crop in the last three weeks. As there is no MSP for basmati, all the stock of this aromatic rice is being purchased by private traders, said Kaur Singh Dhillon, Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO), Faridkot. Due to low prices last season, a large number of farmers did not sow this aromatic variety this season. Against 9,000 hectares under basmati in Faridkot last season, it was sown over 5,000 hectares this season. Most of the farmers who opted for basmati this season did not go voluntarily with this crop. It was the deficient rainfall and erratic power supply that drove them to basmati as it needs less water and it is a late sowing rice variety. This proved to be a blessing in disguise for these farmers. Besides the comparatively lesser input costs on basmati crop, there is no hassle in its sale, said Avtar Singh Sandhu, a farmer in Kameana village. Traders attribute the upbeat price to the decreased domestic production and increased export demand for the produce. Last season, the situation was the opposite; the increased domestic production and lower export had resulted in abundant availability in the domestic market. Last year, all basmati varieties were showing a dip in prices, but this season, there is an upward trend, said the traders. They said as the Union Government had allowed free export of basmati this season, the country would be the largest exporter of rice in the continent and more improvement in the price of this aromatic rice was expected. Against 91,000 hectares under paddy cultivation in Faridkot, basmati was sown only over 5,000 hectares. Cotton was sown over 18,000 hectares in the district in the current season. Reaping profits Basmati growers have been getting Rs 900 per quintal more than the last season Against 9,000 hectares under basmati in Faridkot last season, it was sown only on 5,000 hectares this season Traders attribute the upbeat price to the decreased domestic production and increased export demand for the produce Farmers who opted for growing basmati variety of paddy this season have been reaping profits.
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Old gunny bags being used to stack paddy in Muktsar
Muktsar, November 12 During a visit to the local grain market, a number of old gunny bags used in 2008-09 and 2009-10 in these states were found filled with paddy. This, despite the fact that the government had only permitted either new or a year old bags. About the reason for using old bags and that too of other states, farmers sitting near the stock parried the query: “We are unaware as to whom these bags belong.” However, a few commission agents revealed that the situation was dismal and a number of such bags had been used in the past 10 days. Though the officials concerned accepted the fact that bags of other states could not be used for stacking paddy, they failed to give any satisfactory reply. District Food Supply Controller Kaushal Rao Singla said, “I will personally visit the grain market and take action if old gunny bags of other states are being used.” During the wheat procuring season in May, old gunny bags of cattle feed were used for stacking grains. In a related development, the district administration has now started transporting paddy to other districts, including Barnala, Bathinda and Sangrur. “Nearly 50,000 MT paddy is expected to be sent to other districts, of which nearly 25,000 MT paddy has been already sent,” Singla said.
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They’ll wait for buyers on Divali too
Bathinda, November 12 Several kilometres away in Mansa, another farmer Chuhar Singh would also be spending the entire day and night in the open grain market. He has been waiting for paddy procurers for the past two weeks. “I know no agency official will come tomorrow, the occasion being Divali, a holiday. But, I can't go home leaving my paddy unattended here. It is my source of bread and butter,” Chuhar said. This festival of lights, there are hundreds of farmers who would be spending Divali in various grain markets while guarding their produce. Citing inferior quality of the grain and no space to store the new produce, various state and central procurement agencies have largely stayed away from the procurement process. Things had come to such a pass that a few farmers took paddy back home from a market in Malout. Sohan Singh in Budhlada said it would be a black Divali for his family. “First, the yield was less in our region and then there were no buyers. I could not afford to do shopping for the festival. I won't be lighting candles either,” he said. A commission agent in Mansa said losses were not being faced by farmers alone, as others in paddy cycle too were bearing the brunt of non-sale of the crop. “Farmers are the first ones to come in the chain of economy. When their produce won’t sell, commission agents and other traders would also not earn anything,” he said. Private buyers have been offering as low price as Rs 300 for a tonne of paddy in some markets. The present season has been one of the longest procurement seasons. It has been over a month since the procurement began, but several farmers are still awaiting buyers for their produce.
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Badal, Capt greet people
Chandigarh, November 12 In a message on the sacred occasion, the Chief Minister said: “This festival is a celebration of the victory of light over darkness, good over evil and hope over despair”. Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh, who is the former Chief Minister, also extended his greetings to the state people. Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia also greeted the people of Punjab on the occasion of Divali and Bandi Chhod
Diwas.
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Mittal, Navjot at loggerheads over sting operations
Ropar, November 12 While Mittal termed the move unwarranted and
unauthorised, Navjot said doctors who ran their own clinics during duty hours and drew lakhs of rupees as salary from state exchequer could not be spared. Such actions on part of politicians would only hit the honour of doctors and their freedom of service, he said. “Whatever happened in Ropar was unfortunate. And what had happened at Mohali was the worst as the doctor was arrested. I cannot approve of it,” Mittal said. When asked what mechanism he provided to keep a check on such doctors, the Health Minister said: “An inquiry is conducted into such complaints and doctors are punished accordingly”. On the other hand, Navjot said the Ropar incident was not a sting operation. “After receiving complaints, I visited the hospital and exposed the doctor before the public. I cannot understand why others are bent upon protecting such doctors,” she said.
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Revamped services boost revenue of postal department
Ludhiana, November 12 To maintain its relevance, the department has been rolling out a host of services. It has now become a hub of services. Financial services include tie-ups with MoneyGram and Western Union for money transfers. E-money and instant money order have been introduced. Other initiatives include sale of gold coins and banking services through setting up of ATMs at select post offices across the country. Various aspects of the department are getting revamped and streamlined via Project Arrow. Through tie-ups with public sector concerns, the department has been receiving payments for BSNL. The contract for booking of railway tickets has also been renewed with the Indian Railways. Most of these services are offered through a contract for a specified period with the respective department. Officials say the department is now installing sorting machines at some centres for sorting letters automatically. New printing facility has been set up, wherein the clients would have to provide the data and all services from printing to postage would be provided by the department. Now, lottery tickets are also being offered at the post offices in the state through a tie up with the Punjab Government. Swaraj Kaur, Senior Postmaster, Ludhiana, said though the personal mail traffic had gone down, the department had been serving the people in the digital age by making changes and adding new services to its domain. The Initiatives Secondary mail like phone bills, mutual funds and other kinds of direct-to-mail services Financial services include tie-ups with MoneyGram and Western Union for money transfers and e-money and instant money order, besides banking services Other initiatives include railway ticket booking, sale of gold coins and lottery tickets
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No festivity at Amritsar boy’s house
Amritsar, November 12 Uneasy calm prevails at his residence as the relatives and neighbourers are visiting regularly to console the family and expressing hope of the safe return of their son. “We used to celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas or Divali festival with great enthusiasm with the whole house being decorated with lights. We used to burst firecrackers. But this year the family is not coming to terms after the sudden disappearance of our son. We have not purchased anything during this Divali,” said Angrej Singh, father of the missing child. Ravinder Kaur, his wife and mother of victim, is still inconsolable. Tears rolled down her cheeks whenever relatives visit their home and ask for any development or information about the whereabouts of Gurkirat. The neighbourers are also expressing solidarity with the family by praying for Gurkirat’s safe return. While the police officials are claiming that the boy had gone missing and not kidnapped, Angrej said he was very sure that his son had been abducted. "Though I have given some names suspected to be involved in the kidnapping of my son to the police, but still there is no concrete action on part of the police to trace my son," he rued. “Gurkirat was very active and intelligent. He was far better than his elder brother in studies,” he said. He said the family and relatives searched for him at every possible place, including different religious places, but in vain. It may be recalled that Gurkirat went missing under mysterious circumstances on November 7 when he had gone for playing in the area. The Verka police has earlier lodged a missing person report and later registered a kidnapping case in this connection. Yesterday, the family, relatives and residents of the locality had lodged a protest by blocking Amritsar-Batala road in protest against the Police Department for its failure to trace the missing boy.
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Badal village modernisation plan sinks into trouble
Muktsar, November 12 The modernisation project has been severely hit by water-logging and dilly-dallying attitude of contractors, which has caused a massive delay in the dream project of the five-time Chief Minister and his son and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. No road in the “model” village has been concreted as the project may take another six months to be completed, revealed informed sources. The Malwa belt has prone to the problem of water-logging for quite some time now. Digging of even five feet of earth gets difficult as water oozes out from the land thus filling the trenches. At some places where it requires digging 20 feet and more for laying down the pipes, work has been moving at a snail’s pace. The tall red-brick boundary walls of the “palace” of the Badals have become pale brown with layers of dust. Vehicular movement too has been hit due to existing problems. Sources said one of the main contractors had left work incomplete owing to a dispute over payment, causing a major delay in the work. While officials of different departments remained tight-lipped on the causes behind the delay, village sarpanch Sukhdev Singh said it was mainly due to water-logging that has affected the project. “Also, it is a big project. The work had almost halted during the elections. The engineers have been feeling the heat to tackle the problem of water-logging. They had to arrange for motor pumps to clear the water frequently,” he said. Sources said the work might pick up pace in the next few days. The Chief Minister was likely to hold a sangat darshan programme at the village soon. Some of the roads where pipes have been laid would be constructed soon, they added. Problems galore Hit by water-logging, the project of laying water supply and sewage pipes has been moving at a snail's pace It's a dusty ride in the village as roads which were dug up for the project have not been repaired
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Stubble fire-fed smog makes life tough in Malwa
Faridkot, November 12 The practice of burning paddy waste, say scientists, is not only leading to pollution but also poses a risk to health. Umendra Dutt, executive director of Kheti Virasat Mission, says, “Farmers have been burning wheat and paddy stubble only to save a few hundred rupees. The dangerous practice is bound to play havoc in the years to come. This shortsighted misadventure is going to cost dear in terms of money, time, environmental health, ecosystem and natural resources.” Kheti Virasat Mission is a voluntary organisation dedicated to the cause of sustainable and chemical free agriculture in Punjab. “What are we achieving through such unnecessary fires in our fields? We are burning wheat crop residue on more than 5,500 sq km area and rice stubble on over 12,685 sq km area each,” avers Umendra. Such large-scale burning of stubble releases trace gases along with sub micron-sized aerosols, which are known to aggravate lung and respiratory diseases. There is a sudden increase in the number of patients having irritation and burning complaints in their eyes in November when paddy stubble is burnt, says Dr Raman Goyal, an ophthalmologist in
Faridkot. Choke alert The burning of straw, gathered as residue post-harvesting, leads to the emission of dangerous gases, including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane and nitrous oxide Inhaling such gases depletes the red blood cell count, which adversely affects the oxygen-carrying capacity of the body People suffering from respiratory diseases, including asthma and bronchitis, which require medication for life, are among the worst sufferers The emanating smoke can also lead to problems associated with allergy Tuberculosis or even lung cancer may be the worst forms of diseases caused due to stubble burning Green loss When farmers burn stubble in fields, upper layer of the soil is rendered unfertile, thus, affecting the quality of the next crop Besides destroying friendly pests in the soil, it gives birth to unfriendly pests harmful to the next crop It also raises the level of carbon dioxide and decreases the oxygen level, which ultimately prove harmful for the crop The stubble ash can cause road accidents due to poor visibility on roads
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Govt yet to decide on Centre’s bailout package offer to debt-ridden PSPCL
Chandigarh, November 12 Senior government officials met here today to discuss various aspects of the offer made by the Union Government. Though it was the second meeting held for the purpose, no decision could be taken. Sources said the state government had told the PSPCL authorities to do some home work to find out whether it would benefit from the package. The power utility had been told to prepare a detailed report within a week describing the pros and cons of the offer. Once that done, the issue would be discussed with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. The state government is to respond to the offer by December 31. It would have to give in writing to the Union Government that it was prepared to accept the conditions and riders laid down in the bailout package and would implement the same within a fixed time frame. Senior PSPCL officials are in favour of accepting the offer because it would shift most part of the debt burden on the state government. Under the package, a financial restructuring scheme would have to be implemented by the state government after passing it in the assembly through 'State Electricity Distribution Responsibility Bill'. The state government would to some extent also have to bear the burden of the Rs 10,000 crore loan pending against the PSPCL. About half of this loan would have to be paid to lenders through issuance of bonds, with the state government also paying interest on them (bonds). The remaining past of the short-term loan would be rescheduled or there may be a moratorium on its payment. The Centre would pay 25 per cent of the rescheduled loan as incentive to the state government. Subsequently, all state government departments would have to pay their outstanding energy bills and also abide by other conditions in the scheme. A senior official said most of the conditions laid down in the package by the Centre could be easily met by it. "Tariff is being revised annually for the past several years. Line losses have come down to 17 per cent and a considerable decline has also been witnessed in operational losses," he said. Caught in red tape State government officials have met twice to discuss the offer but no final decision has been taken so far Under the package, a financial restructuring scheme will have to be implemented by the state government Once the scheme is implemented, the Centre would reschedule the PSPCL loan or there may even be a moratorium on its payment
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Publishers accuse Education Dept of favouritism
Chandigarh, November 12 The issue gains importance since the practical notebooks do not contain any text prescribed by the education board. These are blank notebooks and are more or less similar irrespective of the publisher. The department, in its recently issued circular, has asked all schools to purchase their practical books and notebooks by November 15. These are learnt to be published by three publishers. A majority of the publishing houses in the state have given a four-page common representation to the department which has been earmarked to the DPI for his comments. DPI (S) Kamal Sharma said: “I received the complaint a couple of days ago. I need to go into details before taking any decision.”
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Divali bonanza: 7% DA hike for govt staff
Chandigarh, November 12 Both these sops announced today would make the state treasury poorer by Rs 800 crore. The announcement has come at a time when the government has no money to meet its committed liabilities and has outstanding bills worth Rs 2,200 crore. The outstanding bills include grant due to corporations and doctors and teachers appointed by the zila parishads. The government has announced enhancing the rate of dearness allowance payable to its employees and pensioners by 7 per cent (up from 65 per cent to 72 per cent) of the revised basic pay, with effect from July 1, 2012. This would put an additional burden of Rs 351.63 crore on the state exchequer. Besides, the state government has also decided to release arrears of grant worth Rs 450 crore to all aided (government as well as private) colleges. These colleges get 95 per cent grant from the government and the arrears to be released were due since the University Grants Commission (UGC) revised pay scales of college lecturers in 2006. The arrears from January 2006 to November 2010 will be released in a staggered manner over the next one year. It may be mentioned that the state has already exhausted all means to keep the inflow of cash even as the committed expenditure is growing significantly. On an average, Punjab spends Rs 500 crore more than what it earns in a month. As against an average income of Rs 3,500 crore, the state spends Rs 4,000 crore. Though the government had promised to mobilise additional revenue worth Rs 3,000 crore during this year, and bring down its burgeoning revenue deficit from Rs 6,800 crore to Rs 3,123 crore, the resource mobilisation exercise undertaken in August will help the state yield Rs 2,000 crore per annum. Since this exercise was undertaken recently this year, the state will get an only Rs 1,000 crore through increase in VAT and other additional resource mobilisation exercises. Following a clash of interest with its coalition partner BJP, the SAD-led government has also decided to abandon its additional resource mobilisation drive. Cash crunch The announcement has come at a time when the government has no money to meet its committed liabilities and has outstanding bills worth Rs 2,200 crore On an average, the state government spends Rs 500 crore more than what it earns in a month It had promised to bring down its burgeoning revenue deficit from Rs 6,800 crore to Rs 3,123 crore With the state failing to rein in its expenditure, the resource mobilisation exercise undertaken in August will not help much Moreover, a clash of interest with its coalition partner BJP, the SAD has decided to abandon its additional resource mobilisation drive Payment in two ways In a press release, Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa said the enhanced DA due to be given to the employees from July 1, 2012 to October 31, 2012 would be given in two ways. The enhanced DA for the first two months from July 1 to August 31 would be deposited in the general provident fund account whereas the arrear of the DA from September 1 to October 31 would be given in cash, he said, adding from November 1 onwards, the enhanced DA would be merged in the salaries
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PAU inks pact with Mexico wheat centre
Ludhiana, November 12 PAU Vice-Chancellor Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon and RE Duveiller, Director Research, South Asia of the
centre, signed the MoU on behalf of the respective institutes. Dhillon said
CIMMYT, under the agreement, will award scholarships to enable MSc and PhD students of PAU to carry out research activities in conservation agriculture. Initially, the scholarship will be for a period of one year. But, they will be extendable to a maximum duration of 24 months. — TNS
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Sukhbir hopeful of Sarabjit’s early release from Pak prison
Amritsar, November 12 Talking to mediapersons after paying obeisance at the Golden Temple here, Sukhbir said he had raised the issue with Pakistani Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for release of Sarabjit and other Indian prisoners who have either completed their terms or were jailed for petty offences. He said he had requested Sharif to persuade their government for a positive consideration of mercy appeal of Sarabjit. Sukhbir said he had impressed upon Sharif that Sarabjit had already completed 22-year jail term and it would be imperative for the Pakistan government to release him at the earliest. He said such a move would further cement Indo-Pak ties. Earlier, inspecting the progress of the Golden Temple Entrance Plaza being constructed at the shrine, Sukhbir suggested that plaza should give the pictorial display of rich religious and cultural history of Sikhs to educate the younger people about their roots. He asked Amar Behl, who had conceptualised pictorial display at Virasat-e-Khalsa, to submit a plan in this regard. He also asked SGPC secretary to explore the possibility of light and sound show every evening on Sikh religion. The Deputy Chief Minister was accompanied by Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia. Harsimrat strongly reacted to Congress leader Digvijay Singh’s remarks where he compared Arvind Kejriwal with Rakhi Saawant. She said Digvijay’s remark reflected the “anti-women mindset” of the Congress leadership.
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Engineering student’s body found
Ropar, November 12 Deceased's father Inderjit Singh, a resident of Power Colony here, said his son had left for Chandigarh yesterday evening. One of his friends told them that he boarded a bus, he said. No injury marks were found on the body, which was handed over to the family after a postmortem examination, said Morinda SHO Gurmeet Singh. — TNS
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Two found dead at Nawanshahr
Nawanshahr, November 12 The body of Harvinder Singh (20) of Paniali village was found floating in Bist Doab canal near the village. A student of Rayat College at Rail Mazara, Havinder was missing since November 6. He was also doing a part time job. On November 6, he left home in the evening for work but did not return. Suspecting a case of murder, the Kathgarh police has registered a case under Sections 302, 201 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. In another case, the body of Bhajan Lal (50) was discovered at an abandoned house at Ambedkar Basti near Rahon. He had left his home to bring some medicine on November 10 and was missing since then. A case has been registered at Rahon police station.
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A year after it dashed farmers’ hope with its low price, basmati, a premium rice variety known for its aroma and flavourf, is once again fetching good returns to farmers in this region.
Muktsar, November 12
Bathinda, November 12
While the world will be celebrating festival of lights with fervour, this Divali has brought little cheer for the family of 10-year-old Gurkirat Singh, who had gone missing under mysterious circumstances on Wednesday.
Uneasy calm prevails at his residence as the relatives and neighbourers are visiting regularly to console the family and expressing hope of the safe return of their son.
The thick blanket of smog that has enveloped entire southern-western Malwa region of Punjab these days has become a cause for concern. The haze is so dense that motorists are finding it difficult to drive. Scientists say the burning of paddy stubble by farmers was to blame for the situation, which is likely to worsen
post-Divali due to the extra smoke that would be emitted by bursting of crackers.
A day after Sarabjit Singh signed a fresh mercy plea to be filed before Pakistani President Asif Ali
Zardari, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today said he was hopeful for early release of Sarabjit and other Indian prisoners lodged in various jails of Pakistan.
Talking to mediapersons after paying obeisance at the Golden Temple here, Sukhbir said he had raised the issue with Pakistani Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for release of Sarabjit and other Indian prisoners who have either completed their terms or were jailed for petty offences.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal today felicitated the Punjabis living across the country and abroad on the occasion of Divali.
Speaking to mediapersons at his residence here, Mittal said it was not the job of politicians to conduct sting operations. The politicians interested in such things should join the detective services, he said.
Dr Ramanjaneyulu GV, executive director at Centre for Sustainable Agriculture in Hyderabad, says on an average, Punjab farmers burn 196 lakh tonnes of wheat and paddy stubble each year. The burning of a tonne of straw releases 3 kg particulate matter, 60 kg carbon monoxide, 1,460 kg carbon oxide, 199 kg ash and 2 kg sulphur oxide in the air. Apart from this, the practice causes massive loss to the soil, both in terms of nutrients and microorganisms, he says.