AGRICULTURE

BKU warns of ‘civil disobedience’
Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, March 21
The Bhartiya Kisan Union, (BKU), today served an ultimatum to the government to accept all outstanding demands of the farming community, including announcement of MSP of wheat, ensuring elaborate arrangements for purchase of forthcoming crop, writing off of all agricultural loans and taking a policy decision on grant of direct subsidies to the farmers on the pattern of those given by USA and other developed nations by April 14, failing which the farmers would resort to civil disobedience, which would include ‘direct action’.

Addressing a session of the BKU here, the national vice-president, Mr Karnail Singh Chotian deplored the dilly-dallying attitude of the government over the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat and other rabi crops. He said on the basis of price index, the MSP of wheat should be fixed at Rs 636 per quintal while other crops like sugar cane should be purchased at Rs 132 per quintal and oilseeds and cotton at Rs. 3000 per quintal.

Mr. Manjit Singh Kadian, General Secretary of the BKU, observed that as a result of wrong and short sighted policies of the government towards the farmers, over the years, the community had become debt ridden and several farmers had committed suicides in many states of the country.

Calling for immediate remission of all agricultural loans, he demanded that in future, all loans, advanced to farmers, should carry an interest of 4 per cent, so that the farmers were in a position to repay.

He pleaded for direct cash assistance to farmers in the shape of subsidies to save the agricultural community from the adverse effects of the WTO regime. “The farmers ought to be compensated for losses suffered due to distress sales he said.” Mr Kadian further urged the government to form a pressure group of developing and underdeveloped countries and make efforts to get the farm sector excluded from the WTO guidelines.

Others who addressed the session were Mr Puran Singh Shahkot, Mr Bhupinder Singh Mahesari, Mr Baldev Singh Barkandi, Mr Kapoor Singh Chhahar, Mr Amrik Singh Mawai.

Kisan cell opposes commercial use of PAU land
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 21
The Nationalist Congress party (NCP) has urged the Punjab Government to reconsider its decision to exploit the 165 acre land of Sugarcane Research Station, Jalandhar, belonging to the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), for commercial and other purposes in the larger interests of the farmers and the economy of the state.

In a press statement issued here today, Dr Balwant Singh, Convener of the Kisan Cell of the NCP, has said that the 70-year-old Sugarcane Research Station at Jalandhar had made excellent contribution, which had immensely benefitted the farmers of the state.

The research farm had yielded at least 30 high yielding and disease-resistant varieties of sugarcane over the years. Some of these varieties, such as CoJ-64, CoJ-84, CoJ-83 were still very popular with the farmers of Punjab. Infact, it was on account of the singular contribution of this research farm that 23 sugar mills were set up in Punjab in the public, private and cooperative sectors during the last few decades.

Claiming that sugarcane was the most dependable, suitable and remunerative crop for diversification of some area from wheat-rice rotation in Punjab, he charged Dr G.S. Kalkat, Vice-Chancellor of the PAU, with failure to protect the interests of farming community in Punjab and surrendering the land, meant for sugarcane research station for commercial purposes.

Dr Balwant Singh was also critical of the decision of the PAU to shift research of sugarcane on a 200-acre piece of land in the recently acquired Ladowal farm. The Ladowal farm, having sandy and low-lying land, in the riverbed was highly unsuitable for sugarcane research since it was prone to practical problems and difficulties, including floods and damage by wild animals.

He said the PAU scientists, who were genuinely concerned over the planned diversification from rice-wheat system, had recently recommended that the area of cultivation under sugarcane needed to be increased from the existing 1.2 lakh hectares to 2.2 lakh hectares in Punjab.

This would only be possible if the efforts of the farmers were adequately supported by the scientists’ research programmes on sugarcane.

Dr Balwant Singh has expressed his apprehensions that it will take several years to establish long term experiments on sugarcane on the new site. In addition, the results of these experiments will not be viable on account of the variability and heterogeneity of the soil, saying that the new site did not have any sick plot for screening of the new varieties of sugarcane.

The Kisan Cell leader further observed that the Jalandhar research farm, on the other hand, had all the modern infrastructure facilities for research, such as, tubewells, underground channels, laboratories and even residential quarters, for scientists and the field staff.

Besides, the farm was centrally located, making it easy for farmers from any part of the state to seek expert guidance and advice from the scientists. He appealed to all farmers’ organisations to come forward to get the decision of the Punjab Government reversed in the best interest of the farmers.

Seven wheat scientists honoured
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 21
A team of seven wheat scientists comprising Dr. G.S. Nanda, Dr Karam Chand, Dr Hardial Singh Aulakh, Dr S.K. Sharma, Dr A.S. Randhawa , Dr Harjinder Singh and Dr V.S. Sohu, of Punjab Agricultural University were honoured at the annual convocation of the university held yesterday.

These scientists have developed PBW-343 variety of bread wheat. The variety is occupying more than 5 million hectares area in Punjab, Haryana, western UP and adjoining areas. A record production of 159 lakh tonnes of wheat was obtained in Punjab during the last crop season by the cultivation of this variety. Each scientist was presented a gold medal and a citation by Dr R.S. Paroda of ICAR, New Delhi, who was the chief guest at the convocation.

Meanwhile, Dr R.S. Paroda, who visited the KVK Rauni (Patiala) yesterday, appreciated the hybrid seed production programme of this KVK and added that other KVKs of the country should follow its example. He said that the WTO is a challenge as well as an opportunity for the farmers and exhorted agriculture scientists to come up to the expectations of the farmers at this juncture. The KVKs are providing useful training in dairy farming, poultry farming, bee-keeping and other subsidiary occupations and the farmers should make use of such type of training programmes offered by the KVKs.

Dr G.S. Kalkat, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, speaking on the occasion said that the work done by the KVK Rauni should serve as a model for other KVKs. He congratulated the scientists of KVK Rauni.

Dr K.S. Aulakh, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Dr J.S. Kolar, Director of Extension Education, and Dr Sarjit Singh Gill, Additional Director Extension Education (CC), were also present on the occasion. Dr S.S. Malhi, Associate Director of KVK Rauni, proposed a vote of thanks.

On this occasion, a deputation of Punjab Agriculture Teachers Association comprising Dr Hari Singh Brar, president, Dr Madan Lal Gupta, general secretary, Dr Amardeep Singh Joshi , Dr Ramesh Sharma and Dr R.S. Sahota presented a memorandum to Dr R.S. Paroda regarding the pending demands of the teachers. 

EDUCATION

Adopt new teaching techniques: Gujral
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 21
“With revolutionary advances in medical sciences, we have to adopt new teaching methods and develop new materials for teaching,” said Dr G.S. Gujral, Vice-Chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, while delivering the convocation address of Christian Medical College here today.

Resurgence of malaria and tuberculosis is worrisome and doctors should keep themselves abreast of the latest in medical field. He said he had made a recommendation to the Punjab Government for re-registration of medical and nursing graduates, like in the USA.

He paid rich tributes to Dame Edith Brown, who had set up the college for women in 1894, which has now blossomed into a big medical education centre comprising medical, nursing and dental colleges.

Fortynine medical graduates and 63 nursing graduates received their degrees on the occasion.

Alumni and Lifetime Service Awards were also presented to the doctors for their services to the mankind.

PAU students to get university colour
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 21
The Punjab Agriculture University will give the university colour to five players and an artist. Giving this information, Mr J.S. Toor, Joint Director for Sports and Culture, PAU, said that the awards will be given at a prize distribution function to be held on April 9 in the Prithipal Singh Memorial Gymnasium Hall. The function will be presided over by the Vice-Chancellor designate of the university, Mr K.S. Aulakh. Eleven other distinguished sportspersons of the university will also be given merit awards.

He further said that all the students who have been chosen for his award have a good record in inter-college as well as inter-agriculture university championships. The candidates are Harpreet Kaur and Surinder Kaur (table tennis), Gurpreet Singh Dhillon (fine arts), Jagroop Singh Bal, Sukhjeet Pal Singh and Surjit Singh (hockey). Those who would be given Merit awards are: Kanwaljeet Kaur, Sandeep Kaur, Harkeerat Kaur and Harpreet Kaur (handball); Sukhjeet Kaur and Navneet Kaur for Basketball, Arvind Erry and Mayank Jain (table tennis); Gurpreet Singh and Yadwinder Singh (hockey) and Rahul Singla (lawn tennis).

CULTURE

The poetry of leaves, stones and flowers
in a picture
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 21
When a small boy of eight looked at the sky dotted with kites, he had desire, not of buying a kite from the market like others, but to make one of his own. He took a piece of coloured paper, some twigs and made his own kite. Thus started a journey to satisfy the creative urges in the life of Mr Amrit Parkash Singh, now popularly known as A.P. Mr A.P. Singh, who is a known photographer in the region because of his rare pictures of leaves, trees, stone and nature, is presently working as an editor (English) in Punjab Agricultural University at the Communication Centre, looking after the university’s publications. After doing M.Sc. in journalism, A.P., joined Pant Nagar University as an editor, but later shifted to PAU because he wanted to do photography in Punjab which was his first love. He loves working there as it brings him close to nature and gives him a chance to satisfy his creativity.

During a college strike, Mr A.P. Singh would spend his time with a photographer, learning the intricases involved. Since he had a passion for photography right from his childhood, the strike proved a boon for him. The hobby turned lucrative as he started working as a freelance photographer from 1975 to 1982 on varied themes for various newspapers and magazines. He photographed a memorable picture of a old women in a big wooden tub, trying to stay afloat in a flooded area. The picture was on the main page of several national papers. Says Mr Singh, “I was paid very little for the pictures. It broke my heart and I decided never to do photography of such a nature. Those days the press photographers were meagerly paid. From 1982 onward, I turned my attention to leaves and stones. The variegated veins and the delicacy of the leaves fascinates me and I think nature can be seen at its best in different kinds of leaves. The stones that resemble human shapes beckon me to photograph them. I went to Ladakh and Valley of Gods specially to photograph the wonderful stone structures made by nature.”

A small bed of Canna plants near Thapar Hall in the University has provided him with a subject for past one-and-a-half-year. His lens has captured the Canna leaves in glorious and flamboyant colours and one cannot imagine a humble Canna to look more exotic. He says, “In the mornings, when I used shoot the leaves with dew drops on them and sit in different positions for a long time to capture the essence of the picture, passers by would take me to be crazy. But the results have more than compensated my efforts and I am going to hold an exhibition in Delhi, Chandigarh and Ludhiana.”

He has already held three one-man shows of photographs — two at Ludhiana and one at Chandigarh (1992) sponsored by the Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi. His beautiful photographs have won him the Punjab Lalit Kala Academy Award in the Photo Exhibition of 1980, an All-India Exhibition of photographs organised by College of Arts, Government Museum and Art Gallery Chandigarh and Group-8 New Delhi; Rotract Annual Photo Award (1981); IIPC Photo Contest (1989; Kila Raipur Sports Photo 1990; 21st Rose Festival Chandigarh (1993); PLKA Annual Art Exhibition 1993. His works have been exhibited at ‘My Land My People’ exhibition of photographs at the SAARC festival, New Delhi (1993); at the second and third All-India Photo Exhibition organised by AIFAC’s New Delhi (1995, 1996); Annual Exhibition by Lalit Kala Akademi New Delhi (1996).