AGRICULTURE

Team award for PAU scientists
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Feb 18 — It was the team work and incessant spirit to help the farmers which brought award to him as well as his fellow scientists. Prof V.K. Sehgal, Senior Research Engineer-cum-Head of the Department of Processing and Agricultural Structures, Punjab Agricultural University, has been awarded Team award for his and his team's research contribution in the area of post-harvest technology for the past five years.

He and his fellow scientists, he says, worked day and night to develop various technologies which have been adopted by farmers and entrepreneurs of the state for value addition and reduction in post-harvest losses. The team comprising Dr Shashi Paul, Dr V.K. Thapar, Dr Maninder Arora and Dr P.K. Chhuneja was instrumental in developing several technologies which brought them this award at the XXXV convention of the Indian Society of Agricultural Engineers organised at Bhubaneshwar recently.

Some important technologies by scientists working under him are mini rice mills, baby oil expellers, atta chakkis and other related machineries which can be put together to get good results and help the farmers earn a profit of Rs 10,000 per month, besides providing an employment to two persons.

Dr Sehgal has also invented various machines helpful in utilisation of agricultural wastes. Other equipment formed by him are honey extraction equipment which will help in increasing production of honey in the state. A biofertiliser for treatment of paddy parboiled waste water has been developed for reducing environmental pollution in rice mills.

Dr Sehgal has also developed a low-cost moisture meter helpful in detecting moisture of the produce, briquetting machine, paddy husk stove, battery operated smoker, a pin mill for low temperature grinding of grains.

''All my achievements are due to the team work my fellow scientists. My team comprises entomologists, biochemists and food microbiologists as my field is multidisciplinary,'' says Dr Sehgal.

PAU to organise Indian Veterinary Congress
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Feb 18 — The College of Veterinary Science, Punjab Agricultural University, will organise the Indian Veterinary Congress and National Conference of Indian Association for the advancement of Veterinary Research and National Symposium on February 22, 23 and 24 on the PAU campus.

Giving this information, Dr A.K. Srivastava, Professor-cum-Head, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and organising secretary of the stated congress that about 350 eminent veterinarians from all over the country will participate in this congress and interact among themselves regarding latest developments in the field of veterinary pharmacology and toxicology.

Dr Rattan Singh Ajnala, Minister of Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy Development, will be the chief guest and Dr M.L. Madan, Vice-Chancellor, Punjab Rao Deshmukh Agricultural University, Maharashtra, will be the guest of honour.

EDUCATION

Resentment among primary teachers
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Feb 18 — There is widespread resentment among more than 50,000 primary teachers in the state over the government proposal to replace the primary directorate with elementary directorate from April this year.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of several organisations of primary teachers, which was set up during the save-primary directorate convention at Hoshiarpur, has decided to organise an educational conference at Jalandhar on March 23 to focus on the proposal which it described as fatal for the administration and education.

Mr Piara Singh Dhillon, President and Mr Baldev Krishan Moudgil, General Secretary of Government Primary Teachers Union, have, in a joint statement here today charged the Punjab Education Minister, Mr Tota Singh with deliberately complicating the issue of directorate in order to denigrate the primary teachers. The teachers will not tolerate the humiliation and would oppose the move with all their might.

Taking strong exception to the government decision to entrust the supervisory duties of Class V examinations to master-cadre teachers, they warned that if the government stuck to its stand, the primary teachers would be forced to boycott the examinations.

A deputation of the teachers' association will meet the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, on February 23, seeking his intervention and directions to the Education Minister not to go ahead with such decisions that might complicate the situation.