Mungbean can bring more income to farmers
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, November 20
As a result of the release of summer mungbean varieties, SML - 668 and Pusa Vishal, the scope of increasing production and productivity of this important pulse crop has increased manifold. Both these varieties are of short duration, 55 to 60 days, synchronous in maturity and resistant a moderately resistant to mungbean yellow mosaic virus (MYMV).

The cultivation of mungbean can bring additional income to farmers as it can be cultivated after wheat is harvested and before rice planted. The potential of these varieties is 15 to 20 quintal per hectare. This was stated by Dr Gurdip Singh, Senior Plant Pathologist-cum-in-charge, Pulses Section, and Dr J.S. Brar, Senior Pulse Breeder, after their return from a three-month stay at the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Centre (AVRDC), Taiwan, as a part of the programme to bring further improvement in the pulse varieties.

Dr Gurdip Singh and Dr Brar got experience of working with a world-renowned scientist, Dr S. Shanmugasundaram, Director, AVRDC. They have brought valuable information regarding identification of mungbean cultivars with biotechnological tools, variability in MYMV strains with molecular markers and epidemiological aspects. They have also brought good mungbean material from the AVRDC.

AVRDC scientists praised the efforts of the PAU for releasing the mungbean variety, SML 668, which fits well in the rice-wheat cropping system and seed production programme to cover bigger areas rapidly. It is also worthwhile to add that the cultivation of summer mungbean, in between wheat and rice, will also help in enriching the soil as bacteria in the roots of this crop fix nitrogen from the air which becomes available to the next crop.

Dr Kirpal Singh Aulakh, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, and Dr G S Nanda, Director of Research, have expressed hope that the information and material brought by the scientists would give a boost to research in pulse crops, an area which has been rapidly declining in the past.

PU youth festival begins
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, November 20
The Punjab University Zonal Youth Festival, Ludhiana Zone-C, started at the Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College for Women, Kamalpura, here today. The patron of the college, Ms Pritam Kaur Hansra, inaugurated the festival by lighting a lamp. Mr Mukhwinder Singh Chhina, SSP, Jagraon, and the Director, Mr Manjit Singh Khattra, welcomed the chief guest and guests. Mr Vakil Singh Bassi, Mr Bahadur Singh and other members of the college governing council were present, among others.

Today shabad, group singing, ‘vaar’ singing, group dance and fine arts item were held. The following is the results.

Shabad/ bhajan: SGG Janta Girls College Raikot (1), GGS Khalsa College for Women, Kamalpura, (2) and Khalsa College for Women Sidhwan Khurd, (3); individual: Priyanka Joshi of SGG Janta Girls College, Raikot, (1), Gagandeep Kaur of GGC Khalsa College, Kamalpura, (2) and Dhanwant Singh of GHG Khalsa College, Gurusar Sudhar, (3); group singing: GHG Khalsa College, Gurusar Sudhar, (1), Khalsa College for Women, Sidhwan Khurd, (2), and GGS Khalsa College for Women, Kamalpura, (3); individual: Veerpal Kaur of KCW, Sidhwan Khurd, (1), Anudeep Kaur of GHG Khalsa College, Gurusar Sudhar, (2), and Vishab Bharti of LRDAV College, Jagraon, (3); ‘vaar’ singing: SGGJ Girls College, Raikot, (1), LRDAV College, Jagraon, (2), and GGS Khalsa College for Women, Kamalpura, (3); individual: Karamjit Kaur of KCW, Sidhwan Khurd, (1), Kulwinder Kaur of SGGJG College, Raikot, (2), and Karamjit Kaur of GHG Khalsa College, Gurusar Sudhar, (3); drawing from life: Harjit Singh of GHG Khalsa College, Gurusar Sudhar, (1), Harinder Singh of GHG Khalsa College, Gurusar Sudhar, (2), and Mukhminder Kaur of KCW, Sidhwan Khurd, (3); clay modelling: Ravinder Kaur of Government College of Secondary Education and Research, Jagraon, (1), Kamaljit Kaur of Government College of Secondary Education and Research, Jagraon, (2) and Manjinder Kaur of GGS Khalsa College for Women, Kamalpura, (3).

Landscape: Kalpna of GHG Khalsa College, Gurusar Sudhar, (1), Monika Malhotra of LRDV College, Jagraon, (2), and Chinu Gupta of LRDAV, Jagraon, (3); still life: Mandip Singh of GTB National, Dakha, (1), Pawandeep Kaur of KCW, Sidhwan Khurd, (2), and Ravinder Singh of Government College, Karamsar, (3); cartooning: Bhupinder Singh of Government College of Secondary Education and Research, Jagraon, (1), Gagandeep Kaur Ghuman of Government College of SEcondary Education and Research Jagraon, (2), and Honey Kumar of GTB National College, Dakha, (3); collage making: Isha Verma of LRDAV College, Jagraon, (1), Neetakshi of GHG Khalsa College, Gurusar Sudhar, (2), and Malika Verma of LRDAV College, Jagraon, (3); rangoli: Anu Verma of SGG Janta Girls College, Raikot, (1), Silky Jindal of LRDAV College, Jagraon, (2), and Amandeep Kaur of KCW, Sidhwan Khurd, (3); poster making: Amandeep Kaur of GHG Khalsa College, Gurusar Sudhar, (1); and group dance: Government College, Karamsar, (1), GHG Khalsa College, Gurusar Sudhar, (2), and Khalsa College for Women, Sidhwan Khurd, (3); individual: Gurdip Kaur of GHG College, Gurusar Sudhar, (1), Sarbjit Singh of LRDAV College, Jagraon, (2), and Gurpreet Singh of Government College, Karamsar, (3).

Primary teachers threaten stir
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, November 20
The Government Primary Teachers Association has decided to go on an agitation if the government does not reconsider the implementation of the New Education Policy. Recently the Education Minister, Mr Khushal Behl, said here that the formation of the Elementary Directorate and the process of implementing the policy was on the way.

Mr Piara Singh Dhillon, president of the association, said they would file a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court as a last resort. He said the association would hold a meeting on November 24 at Phagwara to discuss the future course of action.

Meanwhile, the Ph.D/ M.Phil School Teachers Association is also not happy with the government for non-acceptance of its long-pending demands. Dr Kanwaljeet Kaur Bal, its president, demanded that Ph.d and M.Phil lecturers should be appointed as supervisors and in case of vacancy, school teachers with these qualifications should be appointed.

Freshers party of lawyers
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 20
The Organisation of Young Lawyers (OYL) held a freshers’ party where the agenda of the organisation was also unveiled. The agenda was released by senior advocate T.S. Sood.

Newcomers were welcomed to the profession by their seniors, including Rana Harjasdeep Singh, Mr M.S. Ghuman and Mr J.S. Chattha, chairman, president and general secretary of the outfit respectively. They also reiterated to solve problems of the younger lot who face a lot of difficulties in their initial years.

They said they would strive to get chambers allotted to members in the new complex in place of those who were not practicing on the judicial side, greater transparency in the appointment of local commissioners, long-term loans on easy installments, ban on the appearance of munshis in courts so that young lawyers were benefitted, create a congenial atmosphere in the courts so that lady colleagues could work without any fear or pressure, weed out corrupt elements from the courts, to encourage youngsters to do social service for the poor and the needy and oppose the culture of spending heavily at the time of bar elections.