Ludhiana, April 2
Chief Parliamentary Secretary Malkiat Singh Birmi formally inaugurated the procurement operation by government agencies at the Sahnewal Grain market today. He supervised the auction of wheat heaps which had arrived in the mandi.

He directed officers of the Mandi Board and procurement agencies to ensure the smooth and efficient procurement of wheat of farmers and warned that any kind of unnecessary delay in the process by any official would be taken seriously. Referring to the commitment of Capt Amarinder Singh’s government to ensure the smooth purchase without any kind of harassment to the farmers, Mr Birmi claimed that during all seasons in the past three years, the procurement of crops of farmers had been very smooth and the farmers were satisfied.

He said during the tenure of the SAD-BJP alliance, the farmers had to wait for many days to sell their crops and had been forced to pay bribes to the purchasing staff. He said during this season the per hectare yield of the wheat was expected to be higher by around two quintals than last year.

Mr Birmi said the government was committed to watching the interests of the farmers and claimed that during the past paddy season in spite of the severe drought, the government had ensured eight hours of regular power supply for paddy, even by purchasing power at a cost of Rs 2,400 crore from other states.

He said the government was making serious efforts to overcome the prevailing power crisis in Punjab and said funds amounting to Rs 10,000 crore were being spent to enhance the power generation capacity by around 2,000 MW. Mr Birmi informed that a big gas-operated power project would be set up near Doraha in Ludhiana shortly.

He said SAD leaders now had nothing to say against the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, as with a single daring decision he had saved the river waters of the state by cancelling all water agreements, whereas the people had given three terms to Badal, who never made any effort to solve the matter.

Mr Birmi informed that in his constituency grants more than Rs 4 crore had been released during the past two years. He said work on the widening and strengthening of the Sahnewal-Kohara road at a cost of Rs 1.35 crore had already started.

Among others who accompanied Mr Birmi were, Mr Jaswinder Singh Sandhu, chairman, Market Committee, Mr Romesh Kumar Pappu, president, Nagar Panchayat, Sahnewal, Mr Swaran Singh Sandhu, vice-president, MC, Sahnewal, and Mr Darshan Kumar.

Khanna: Local MLA and Parliamentary Secretary, Punjab, Harbans Kaur Dullo formally inaugurated procurement process of wheat at Asia’s biggest grain market here today. Only 240 quintal of wheat was procured at the grain market today by government procurement agencies and private traders as compared to 9,000 quintal last year.

The auction was started in the Sardar Mandi area of the grain market where the crop of Kirpal Singh of Kumbra was procured by the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation at Rs 640 per quintal.

Mr Harbans Singh Rosha, Chairman Market Committee, Khanna, said the warehousing corporation had procured 150 quintal of wheat and Punsup 50 quintal. While the private traders had procured only 40 quintals, he added.

SDM Jaspal Mittal, secretary, market committee, Mohan Saingh Pannu and vice-chairman, market committee, Bharpur Chand Bector were also present.

Ludhiana, April 2
Much against the advice of scientists and the government, farmers have started sowing paddy much earlier. While the government has always asserted that they should not sow it too early lest it put additional strain on the water resources, there has not been any effort on its part to create awareness among them on the issue.

Over the years it has been observed that the state Agriculture Department and Punjab Agricultural University experts start issuing advertisements as late as in May. But by that time the farmers would already have sown the paddy and the seedlings would be ready for the transplantation. Hence the campaign costing lakhs of rupees goes waste.

In 2003, the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), in order to discourage the farmers from sowing paddy early, had decided not to provide any power to farmers before June 15, which is considered to be the best time for the transplantation of the paddy as the monsoons are expected in by the June end and there is no strain on water resources since the paddy needs a lot of water.

But last year (in 2004) there was no campaign from any quarter. Even the PSEB also remained quiet. Nor was there any awareness campaign. This year also the government and the PAU remains silent. With the result farmers at various places have started sowing paddy and at several places the seeds have started sprouting. It takes about 40 days for the seeds to grow before these can be transplanted. With the seeds already having been sown, the seedlings would be ready for transplantation by the first week of May.

Several farmer organisations have urged the government to ensure that the farmers do not sow early seeds and go for early transplantation. Mr Hardev Singh Sandhu, president of the Kirti Kisan Union demanded that the government should enact a law against early sowing and transplanting of paddy. Such a law exists in Pakistan. Mr Balbir Singh Rajewal, national general secretary of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Mann), has also demanded a similar legislation in Punjab.

The president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), Punjab, Mr Ajmer Singh Lakhowal has urged the farmers not to go for early sowing and transplantation. He pointed out that ultimately the brunt would be borne by the farmers in terms of extra inputs. He suggested that the government should launch a massive awareness campaign against it.

Ludhiana, April 2
The College Development Council Fund — a fund generated by the students for the development projects of college, faculty and themselves — seems to have lost its objective with Punjab University deciding to provide 50 per cent of the admission fee of the wards of the confirmed college employees out of the fund.

The fund is being generated for the past many years from affiliated colleges of the university. For this, every student has to give Rs 20 annually. The raised fund, approximately Rs 27 lakh, is used for many development purposes such as organising lectures/seminars/conferences and workshops for students and faculty, development of college education, arranging study trips of Principals and faculty, financial subsidy to teachers and PG students, etc. The fund also helped in improving interaction between colleges and universities. But the decision of the university of sponsoring 50 per cent of the admission fee of the wards of confirmed employees of the colleges affiliated to the university out of this development fund has definitely hampered college development projects.

Doraha, April 2
As Panjab University has tried to reduce its burden by issuing permanent identification numbers to first year students of undergraduate classes from the current session, it is being apprehended that the exercise may prove to be more ‘burdensome’ for the students and staff, who have to actually implement it.

The university has replaced the earlier system of issuing fresh roll numbers every year by permanently issuing a registration-cum-roll-number card for three years.

The permanent identification number is 11-digits, — the first three digits are the college code, next two the year and the last six digits comprise the actual roll number. Dr Lakhvir Singh Gill, Superintendent at one of the centres here, said, “The 11-digit number is bound to create confusion not only to the students but also in the seating plan ”.

Principal Jaswant Singh Gill, Controller of the examination centres here, said the number could be a problem during its continuation phase. “A failed candidate will break the series and a migrating students will have another code,” he added.

Dr R.S. Jhangi, Principal, AS College, Khanna, said the things were not as simple as they seem. “Moreover, many of these laminated permanent identification numbers are faulty. In many cases, the name, father’s name, date of birth and even sex have been wrongly mentioned.”

Ludhiana, April 2
Punjab Agricultural University will soon acquire sophisticated electronic microscope costing about Rs 3.5 crore. Disclosing this here yesterday, Dr M S Tiwana, Dean, College of Agriculture, said the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, had sanctioned Rs 3.50 crore for the purchase of electron microscope in the PAU.

Dr Tiwana said microscope comprised the latest equipment and accessories, including SEM with EDX (Scanning Electron Microscope) for viewing surface of specimen; TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope ) for viewing a section of specimen; and accessories. Besides, it would be able to magnify an object by three lakh times.

SEM is an indispensable tool for virology, bacteriology and other allied disciplines. Plant pathogens like viruses, bacterial, fungi and nematodes can be detected and identified in depth. It will also be used for identification of crystalline minerals in soils and crystallographic studies.

Dr Tiwana said the installation of TEM would prove a boon to researchers as it would help in studying in details the structural and functional organisation of cells/tissues, cell organelles, biomembranes, virus and mycoplasms, enzyme cytochemistry, host-parasite interaction, fertilisation process, sites of incompatibility and structural changes in cells/ tissues in relation to environmental stress and disease diagnosis in plants and animals.

Samrala, April 2
In view of the teachers’ boycott, the Panjab University has already postponed all its examinations for today but the teachers of Malwa College Bondli-Samrala staged a massive protest dharna in the college campus under the guidance of Union President and PCCTU Executive member Prof Baldeep Singh and Secretary Prof Baljit Singh.

Addressing the teachers, Prof Baldeep Singh said that most of the non-government aided colleges were on the brink of closure for want of regular release of salary grants. The teachers condemned the state bureaucracy for creating hurdles in the smooth running and peaceful academic environment in these colleges.

Malwa College Teachers unanimously passed resolution seeking implementation of Johl Committee report. They felt that the aided colleges can be saved only if the government accepts and implements Johl Committee report which suggests 70 per cent share of the funds and fees of these colleges will go to the state coffers and 30 per cent share will be left to the college managements in lieu of the 100 per cent grant to these colleges.

Prof Jagmohan Singh and Dr Parminder Singh also addressed the teachers sitting in dharna.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, April 2
The Punjab Students Union has threatened to launch a stir against the state government’s decision to allow private organisations to start technical courses and privatise the existing ITIs. It has resulted in a massive increase in fee and lack of facilities in these institutes.

Mr Gurmukh Singh Maan, general secretary of the state unit, alleged that the state government was bent on disrupting the earlier system of technical education that visualised the need of an efficient training programme for the development of the state.

“Unfortunately, youths of the state have been deprived of their right to get technical education. The privatisation of the ITIs has resulted in a hike in fee that made education costlier and beyond the reach of students from poor and middle class families,” said Mr Maan.

Whereas the youths used to start their own ventures after being trained from these institutes earlier, they are not able to get the training now as the fee has been increased from Rs 3,500 to Rs 15,000,” he said.

Mr Maan said the government had decided to auction 17 institutes on contract and allowed many private institutes to start technical courses in future.

Showing concern over the declining standard of teaching in government institutes, Mr Maan said more than 50 per cent posts of instructors were lying vacant and the raw material was not available for practical training.

The union would launch a stir from April 6 in case the move to privatise the industrial training institutes was not rolled back, threatened the union leader.

Ludhiana, April 2
Pre-litigative lok adalats pertaining to bank loan cases, being organised in view of a national-level Lok Adalat to be held on April 10 here, are proving a boon for loan defaulters as well as banks. The defaulters are happy as they are getting ‘’maximum concessions’’ in waiving off the interest amount. The banks are also cheerful as they are now sure about the recovery of their debts.

In the past few days, as many as 585 cases involving a balance loan amount of Rs 4.22 crore have been finalised and the award would be passed during the main Lok Adalat on April 10.

The pre-litigative lok adalats have saved loan defaulters from doing the rounds of courts, as their disputes are being resolved before the start of legal proceedings against them. It has also saved the already overburdened judicial officers from more burden.

The Assistant General Manager of the Central Bank of India, Mr Jeewan Singh Arora, says, ‘’ we are thankful to the Legal Services Authority for organising such pre-litigative lok adalats. We are waiving interests on defaulted loan amounts, but only as per the policy and guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank of India’’.

“Banks, which were likely to spend huge amounts on affixing court fees at the time of filing cases against loan defaulters and paying fee to lawyers, have been saved. It has also saved a lot of time and energy of bank officials,” added Mr Arora.

The Zonal Manager of Punjab and Sind Bank, Mr G.S. Reikhy, said, ‘’ It’s good that the recovery of the defaulted loan amount would be no problem now. The awards passed by the lok-adalats would be as good as a decree of court and the same can be executed through, courts, if the loanees fail to pay back the loan amounts as amicably settled in lok-adalats.”

A loanee, who did not wish to be quoted, said, ‘’ I had taken a loan from a bank, but due to slump in business, I could not pay the instalments for one and half years. Resultantly, the meter of interest was moving fast and bank officials were not in a mood to waive off the interest. However, when at a Lok-Adalat, a judicial officer asked bank officials to waive off the interest.

Ludhiana, April 2
A city-based young scholar and writer has won literary distinction. Dr Kulwinder Kaur Minhas has published a collation of essays in the book form ‘Jinni Chakhia Prem Ras’. The book in Punjabi has won the author recognition for the richness of content and lucidity of prose style. This book drew the attention of Central Institute of Indian Languages (Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt of India).

The said institute purchased hundreds copies of the book under ‘book purchase scheme’ to be sent to universities and colleges throughout in India. Talking to Ludhiana Tribune she said that complimentary copies under this scheme have been despatched to Punjabi Departments.

Dr Minhas has Master Degrees both in English and Punjabi. She did her Doctorate on the novels of the Gyanpeeth Awardee Dr Dlaip Kaur Tiwana. She is also well known as a literary critic. She has read scores of critical papers on literary books published during the last few years. She has to her credit a number of articles published in journals. The Mehram Publications commissioned her to interviewing six Punjabi literary writers such as Dr Surjit Patar, Mr Amrik SIngh Pooni, Ajaib Chitarkar, Prof N.S. Tasneem, Jagwnt Singh etc. She was honoured by Mehram Publication at Nabha recently. “Currently,” she said,” I am writing a novel, a book of critical essays, besides collecting material for D. Litt.”