AGRICULTURE

Paddy crop attacked by leaf folder
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 1
Leaf folder, one of the most hazardous pests of paddy, has started damaging the crop with the onset of rainy weather in the region. Experts of Punjab Agricultural University say the disease has wider sweep and scale this time.

According to experts, the folder starts damaging the crop during the month of August and October. However, this time it struck down in July. In some regions, severe damage by this pest has been noticed. The larvae of the pest destroys the crop by folding the leaves and eating into the essential green tissues, and leaves behind white streaks on the leaves. The white streaks make the identification of the damage easier to the farmers. Precaution must be taken at the earliest and if the situation warrants, spray of 250 ml of folithion/sumithion/accothion 50 EC (Fenitrothion) or 150 ml lebaycid 1000 EC (fenthion) or one litre of coroban/durmert 20 EC (chlorpyriphos) or 560 ml of nuvacron/monocil 36 SL (monocrolophos) or 800 ml Ekalus 20 AF (quinalphos) in 100 litres of water per acre may be done. If the stem borer (more than 5 per cent infestation) and leaf folder are occuring in the same field, preference may be given to chlorpyriphos, monocrotophos or quinalphos to obviate both the pests effectively. The use of unrecommended and ingenour mixtures of pesticides on paddy should be avoided, said the authorities.

EDUCATION

College teachers on mass casual leave
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 1
On a call of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union, hundreds of private college teachers took mass casual leave today to protest against the non-implementation of the pension and gratuity scheme of the Punjab Government.

Over 300 teachers from private colleges had gone to Muktsar to hold a protest rally in the home town of Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister. The teachers said they had been demanding early implementation of the scheme for the past one year and were now forced to resort to an agitation.

The union members said that in its decision on July 26, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the government to implement the scheme within three months and report compliance to the court by November 1, 2001, but the union had decided to continue its agitation till the pension orders were passed by the government.

Students boycott registration process
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 1
Students of College of Agriculture, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) boycotted the registration process for the new semester here today to protest against the delay in advertising the posts of agricultural teacher in schools. A spokesman of the Punjab Agricultural Students Union, Mr Harcharan Singh, said that it was the first step towards resuming the massive protest that was launched by students during the last semester.

He said Vice-Chancellor, K.S. Aulakh, Education Minister Tota Singh and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had asked the agitating students to call off the fast. They had promised that the posts of teacher of agriculture in schools would be advertised.

Teachers demand payment of salaries
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 1
The Democratic Teachers Front has demanded that 10, 320 confirmed teachers who have not been paid their salaries for the past two months be given their dues immediately.

Stating this in a press note, Mr Joginder Singh Azad, secretary of the local unit of the front, said the teachers were facing hardship due to delay in payment of their salaries. He said salaries of the staff members of nearly 1,510 schools which had been upgraded from primary to middle level during the years 1991 to 1996 had not been approved till date. Mr Bhajan Singh, president, said he was pleased with the acceptance of demands of ETT teachers by the Punjab Government. He said that cases of partiality which had come up during interviews for the posts of teacher in elementary schools should be investigated.