AGRICULTURE

Training camp for farmers
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 2
To help the farmers successfully grow different rabi crops, technical experts from the Mangat block, under the leadership of an Assistant Project Officer, Dr J.P. Singh, organised a block level farmer training camp at the grain market here today. Nearly 250 farmers participated in the technical session. This was part of the attempts made by the technocrats of the Department of Agriculture to cope up with the changing scenario.

Dr J.P. Singh cautioned the farmers regarding the long-term adverse effects of the wheat-paddy monoculture and suggested viable and possible alternative cropping patterns. He asked the farmers to grow pulses, oilseeds, vegetables and go in for agro-forestry.

The District Agriculture Information Officer, Dr Daler Singh, detailed the farmers regarding the benefits of bed-planting of wheat and possible inter-cropping of different crops in the light of soil-water depletion.

Dr R.P.S. Aulakh, Agricultural Development Officer of the block, stressed upon “cost-effective, qualitative and marketable agriculture”.

Dr H.S. Sidhu, Dr Partap Singh, Dr Baldev Singh (FDO), Dr Davinder Singh, Assistant Marketing Officer, Ludhiana, Dr Baldev Singh (ADO, cotton) and Mr Rajan (Asstt Agricultural Engineer) also spoke on the occasion. Dr M.K. Sharda, ADO (Mangat), thanked the experts.

Animal welfare camp organised
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, September 2
An animal welfare camp at the Civil Veterinary Hospital, Ayali Khurd was inaugurated by Mr Rahul Bhandari, Administrator, PUDA, on Sunday. The camp was presided over by Dr Harprem Singh Gill, Deputy Director, Animal Husbandry, Department. Senior officers, Veterinary Officers and specialist doctors participated in the camp in which, more than 350 dairy farmers participated and 345 animals were brought for check up, treatment, pathological tests and surgery. At the function, Dr Harbans Singh Dhalla, president, Punjab State Veterinary Officers Association, welcomed the chief guest.

Dr Gurdeep Singh, editor of “Uttam Pashudhan”, conducted the stage. Dr Parshotam Garg, SVO, Dr R.K. Khullar, ADAH, Dr Harprem Singh Gill, DDAH and Mr Gurmail Dhillon dairy farmer and Dr Sukhwant Singh, VO, Ayali Khurd were the main speakers.

The chief guest, assisted by Dr Gill, honoured Mr Hoshiar Singh, Sarpanch, Ayali Khurd, Mr Manpreet Singh, Ayali Khurd Mr Paramjeet Singh, Sarpanch, Singhpura village, Mr Malkiat Singh, Sarpanch, Partap Singhwala village, Mr Jagtar Singh, progressive dairy farmer, Ayali Khurd, and Mr Surjit Singh, (progressive dairy farmer) of the Tajpur dairy complex.

Mr Bhandari stressed upon the quality production of milk. He said Denmark produced the best quality milk, while India was leader in milk production. But in quality, we are lagging behind, he observed. PAU and the Animal Husbandry Department, Punjab, should work to improve the quality of milk. The government is providing subsidised vaccines to dairy farmers and poultry farmers, he said, adding that chilling centre chain should be maintained with the guidance from veterinary officers. A Rs 4 crore grant from the Centre for chilling project had been approved, he said.

Workshop on ergonomics
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 2
Punjab Agricultural University is organising a workshop of the All-India Coordinated Research Project on Human Engineering and Safety in Agriculture on October 4 and 5.

Delegates and experts from all over the country are expected to take part in the deliberations.

Dignitaries from the ICAR, Ministry of Agriculture, and tractor and farm machinery manufacturing industries are also participating in the workshop.

Human engineering or ergonomics is the newest branch of science and engineering, dealing with comfortable work posture while working in offices, factories or farm and tends to minimise fatigue by proper designing of the work environment. It has become an important area due to an increased farm mechanisation in the agriculture sector.

Safety is an important aspect in design features for dangerous machines and this is important from the point of view of safeguarding life and limbs of operators and users. In the early eighties, the PAU had designed a safe-feeding chute for threshers which was accepted by the BIS and minimised chances of accidents. Similarly, role over protection structures (ROPS) are mandatory for all tractors used in the western world as these help in reducing farm accidents.

All these aspects, besides those related to farm mechanisation will be discussed during this workshop. The workshop will be inaugurated by Dr Anwar Alam, DDG (Engg) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. Dr K.S. Aulakh, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, will be the chief guest. All those interested in the subject, from tractor and farm machinery industries, can attend this programme.

‘Crises in higher education’
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, October 2
The Coordination Committee of Science Teachers will organise a seminar on ‘Crisis in higher education’ at GGN Khalsa College, Ludhiana, on October 27.

Among the issues in focus in the seminar will be: erratic flow of government grants to affiliated colleges and its impact, need for special grants to the colleges for equipping laboratories, high cost of higher education, arrests of science teachers and related issues, opening up of substandard technical, dental and pharmacy colleges without proper infrastructure and facilities, employment of teachers on contract basis in degree, technical and dental colleges, relevance of distance education courses of PTU.