B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Win-win situation for organic farmers
Faridkot, May 5
With an average 10 to 15 per cent total decline in wheat yield this season, while the sombre mood engulfed the farmers in this region as the low yield and high cost of chemical sprays and other inputs hit their profits, most of the organic farmers are upbeat once again.

Youth killed, another hurt in road mishap
Muktsar, May 5
A youth lost his life and another sustained severe injuries when the motorcycle they were riding overturned after they lost control over it last night on the Jalalabad road.

Mystery shrouds fashion designer’s death
Abohar, May 5
Delhi fashion designer Prachi Dhamija’s parents might not have learnt of her mysterious death on the railway track at Abohar had a local resident, Rajesh Arora alias Sonu, not gone through an advertisement in the local edition of a vernacular in the National Capital.

IPS officer does Gidderbaha proud
Gidderbaha (Muktsar), May 5
A student of the IIM Bangalore and the IIT Delhi, Divya Mittal, who is married to an IFS officer of Gidderbaha, has brought laurels to this small town after clearing the Civil Services Examination securing the 68th rank.
                                  Divya Mittal Dhillon

Army honours war widows
Abohar, May 5
In continuation of the Army’s efforts to honour the war widows, Manpreet Ghai, regional president, Chetak Army Wives Welfare Association, felicitated 10 war widows during her visit to the Military Station here today.

Decline in wheat yield
Win-win situation for organic farmers
With zero cost of fertilizers & sprays, produce fetches remunerative price
Balwant Garg/TNS

Faridkot, May 5
With an average 10 to 15 per cent total decline in wheat yield this season, while the sombre mood engulfed the farmers in this region as the low yield and high cost of chemical sprays and other inputs hit their profits, most of the organic farmers are upbeat once again.

The average yield of organic grain is almost same as the previous year but with no expenses on sprays and other chemical inputs in their yield.

While the farmers using chemical fertilizers and sprays have got Rs 1,350 per quintal for their wheat crop, the organic wheat fetched its producers Rs 2,900- Rs 3200 per quintal.

With high humidity and repeated attack of stem, leaf rust and disease of sap sucking pests this season, the total wheat yield has fallen by about 20,000 metric tonne in the district. Last year the total wheat arrival in the district on May 3 was 4,06,608 metric tonne but this season on the same day, the total arrival was 3, 87, 671 metric tonne. Besides the low yield, farmers had to spend more money on chemical sprays to get rid of the pest and fungus attack this season.

Calling it a zero-budget natural farming, Vinod Jyani, who has 120 acres under organic farming in Katehra village of Fazila, said the organic farmers did not purchase any input from market to use it in their fields. “In natural farming, we have to use all those things, which are utilised by nature in forests and are already available in farmland. Besides making a big cut on the purchase of fertilizers and pesticides, the use of irrigation water is 70 to 80 per cent lesser in natural farming as compared to conventional agricultural methods,” said Harjant Singh, a farmer in Rai Ke Kalan village.

Even a study, the Economics and Efficiency of Organic Farming vis-à-vis Conventional Farming in India, by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, revealed that though the yield under organic farming is nearly half but the market price realisation of per kg wheat was significantly higher (117 per cent).

The study indicated almost 16 per cent higher gross returns per acre of wheat under organic farming over conventional farming, said Umendra Dutt, executive director of the Kheti Virsat Mission, a voluntary organisation promoting natural farming.

Youth killed, another hurt in road mishap
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, May 5
A youth lost his life and another sustained severe injuries when the motorcycle they were riding overturned after they lost control over it last night on the Jalalabad road.

Sources said 20-year-old Ankit Teria, son of Sewa Ram Teria, died on the spot, while 30-year-old Jagsir sustained severe injuries. They were both residents of Muktsar.

The sources added that the mishap occurred at around 8 pm yesterday near Ladhuwala village, when a canter suddenly came from the opposite direction and a pick-up vehicle was parked on the roadside and the two lost control over their motorbike.

It may be mentioned here that the deceased was a nephew of former president of Muktsar Municipal Council, Shammi Teria.

Mystery shrouds fashion designer’s death
Body was found on rly track in Abohar
Our Correspondent

Abohar, May 5
Delhi fashion designer Prachi Dhamija’s parents might not have learnt of her mysterious death on the railway track at Abohar had a local resident, Rajesh Arora alias Sonu, not gone through an advertisement in the local edition of a vernacular in the National Capital.

He remembered that the body of a girl with the surname “Dhamija” written in her notebook was found on the rail track at Abohar on April 21.

Sonu informed the Laxmi Nagar police station. The Delhi police led by sub-inspector Yogesh Kumar, along with Prachi’s uncle Shiv Kumar, aunt Varsha and brother, arrived here last evening.

The relatives broke down after recognising her clothes and other belongings preserved by the GRP here.

Preliminary investigations indicated that Prachi, daughter of Sushil Dhamija of Gandhi Nagar in Muzaffarnagar (UP), was residing in a PG in Laxmi Nagar, New Delhi, along with her two sisters to pursue a degree course in fashion designing. She left to appear in the exam on April 20 but did not turn up.

In the CCTV footage examined by the police, she was noticed waiting for the Metro train alone at 12.07 pm.

The next day, her body was found on the rail track near Bahawalbassi station, about 7 km from here. It was believed that she slipped out of the Delhi-Abohar-Sriganganagar train. A notebook with “Dhamija” scripted on it and some other goods including fabric designer kit were found. Her body was preserved in the mortuary at the Nehru Memorial Civil Hospital here for want of identification.

As per the rules, an NGO was allowed to cremate her body after three days.

Her parents lodged an FIR under Section 365 of the IPC at the Laxmi Nagar police station suspecting that she might have been kidnapped. Now they suspect that she was either killed and her body was thrown out of the train here or that she might have been pushed out on April 21.

The post-mortem examination report might help in reaching some conclusion on the cause of the death, the police said. The Delhi police is hopeful on cracking the mystery shrouding her death soon.

Civil Services Exam
IPS officer does Gidderbaha proud
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Gidderbaha (Muktsar), May 5
A student of the IIM Bangalore and the IIT Delhi, Divya Mittal, who is married to an IFS officer of Gidderbaha, has brought laurels to this small town after clearing the Civil Services Examination securing the 68th rank.

It was the last attempt for Divya who finally achieved her goal of becoming an IAS officer. She had earlier cleared the civil services exam in 2010.

“Merely qualifying in the civil services exam was not my aim. I always wanted to become an IAS officer. So, I attempted it for the third time in a row and achieved success. After becoming an IAS officer, now I can work in various fields like health, and education,” said Divya, while speaking over the phone from Karnataka, where she is performing duty during the assembly elections as an IPS probationer.

She gave the credit for her success to her husband Gagandeep Dhillon, who is posted as Assistant Director General, Foreign Trade, at Delhi.

“I never received coaching and did all the study on my own. Though I took the help of my husband and friends, I never joined any coaching institute,” said Divya.

Divya’s feat has left her in-laws ecstatic. “The success of my daughter-in-law has made all of us proud. She appeared thrice in the civil services exams and cleared it all the time. But she was not interested in working as an IRS or IPS officer and always desired to become an IAS officer, which she did. My son is also an IFS and presently serving as the Director General, Foreign Trade at Delhi,” said Jaspal Singh Dhillon, father-in-law of Divya, who retired as a sub-inspector of police in Bathinda.

Army honours war widows

Abohar, May 5
In continuation of the Army’s efforts to honour the war widows, Manpreet Ghai, regional president, Chetak Army Wives Welfare Association, felicitated 10 war widows during her visit to the Military Station here today.

She paid rich tributes to the men in olive who had made sacrifices for the nation. Manpreet Ghai also presented the widows with gifts. As a special case, financial assistance was also provided to one Krishna Rani for her daughter’s marriage ceremony. — OC