AGRICULTURE

Test purity of Bt cotton seeds: Chahal
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 9
Cashing on the great demand by farmers, some unscrupulous seed dealers have been cheating farmers by selling them either non-Bt seeds or adulterated Bt seeds.

The government had given a green signal last year to the cultivation of Bt cotton in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan and farmers were eager for Bt cotton seeds since.

To caution farmers, scientists at Punjab Agricultural University suggested a testing technique, by which farmers could test the genuineness of Bt seeds.

Dr G.S. Chahal, Dean of the College of Agriculture, said the Bt express test had been developed by scientists at the Central Institute of Cotton Research, Nagpur.

This test kit was priced at Rs 1,450 and contained 50 Bt test strips, sufficient to test 50 seed samples, he said.

This kit was available from Innovative Biosciences at 1, Samarth Nagras (W), Anji Sauase Wardha Road, Nagpur.

The Agriculture Department had purchased these kits in bulk and farmers could contact Chief Agricultural Officers for more information, he said.

Giving details of the method, Dr Chahal said, “Remove the seed-coat or extract two leaf discs of one 1 cm diameter from the youngest leaf of the cotton plant. Transfer those to the vial and add 5 ml of extraction buffer. Crush the tissue sample with the help of the pestle provided with the kit, making a viscous solution.”

He further explained, “Allow this solution to settle for 10 minutes and dip a Bt test strip with its end marked ‘sample’ into the solution. Within 15 minutes, the strip, along with its filter pad, will get wet. If two red or pink bands appear on the strip, the sample is of Bt cotton. Appearance of one band indicates that the sample is non-Bt.”

Dr Chahal pointed out that only one sample could be tested with one strip.

The pestle should be thoroughly cleared before re-use or else it would give incorrect results.

He advised farmers to keep test strips in an air-tight pack under refrigeration and use the strips within six months.

He also advised farmers to purchase seeds from reliable sources and obtain proper receipts for records.

Waiver of farmers’ loan sought

Khanna, April 9
The government should come to the aid of farmers in Punjab and write off their debts as they have suffered losses due to an increase in the input costs, said Mr Avtar Singh Janjua, general secretary, RSP, Punjab, in a press note issued here on Thursday.

He criticised the state and central governments for giving a stepmotherly treatment to the farming community in Punjab. They had reached the bottom point of their finance as they are compelled to seek loans even for their day-to-day needs, he added. OC

EDUCATION

School owners’ plea to govt
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 9
The Punjab Private Schools Welfare Association, Patiala, and the Association of Private Schools, Ludhiana, today condemned the state government for its “discriminatory policies” against private schools.

Mr Surinder Singh Dhillon, president, Punjab Private Schools Welfare Association, demanded an Act to regulate education in the state. He admitted that certain private schools could be held responsible for providing poor quality of education. But that did not mean that 17,000 private schools should be closed.

“It is unfortunate that the education system in Punjab was lagging behind,” said Dr Deepak Manan, president, Association of Private Schools.

Autumn camp concludes at Love Dale School
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 9
A fortnight long autumn camp organised at Love Dale School concluded amidst festivities today. The camp covered three areas — cultural, art and communication skills.

The participants were trained by Bittu, Ladi, Shilpa, Mandeep and Jaswinder.

Love Dale club also organised a function in connection with Baisakhi. Children were dressed in traditional outfits and danced to the beats of dhol and songs of Baisakhi like ‘‘Vajde Baisakhi vich dhol soniye’’, ‘‘Teri Kanak di raakhi mundiya main nahi behndi.’’ The club was decorated with wheat stalks. A dance competition— Nach Baliye— was also organised on the occasion. Ms Sonia and Ms Sukhminder were the judges for the dance competition.

The results of the contest are as follows:

Group I: Ishikajain Bhavna, first; Kartikey Pranjal, second; Kaynath Sejal, third; and Rishita Vrinda, consolation prize.

Group II: Harsejal, first; Mrinal, second; Udayveer, third; and Zoya Shubham, consolation prize.

Group III: Prableen, first; Japleen, second; Sehaj, third; and Japleen Gurnoor, consolation prize.

Group IV: Mansi Vibhu, first; Astha Gurpreet, second; Surbhi, third; and Harsh, consolation prize.

Students present cultural programme
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 9
The annual prize distribution function of D.N. Everest Model High School, Jaspalon, was held here yesterday. Ms Harbans Kaur Dullo, Parliament Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayat and Tourism Department, was the chief guest. Mr Sukhbir Tiwari, member, Parent-Teacher Association, Prof Harlal Singh, a former Director, Punjab School Education Board, and Mr Sushil Malhotra, member, Prime Minister Rojgar Yojna, were the guests of honour.

The programme started with Saraswati Vandana. Students presented a colourful programme. They performed skits based on discipline and anti-corruption and presented folk dances and songs.

Ms Dullo lauded the progress made by the school in the field of education and sports. She announced a grant of Rs 51,000 for the school.

Project for deaf children
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 9
The Inner Wheel Club, Ludhiana Mid Town, organised a project at The Deaf and Dumb School, Haibowal Road, here yesterday.

Ms Shweta Verma was the chief guest. The club donated 50 chairs to the school for the newly constructed hall.

President of the club Anju Kapur, vice- president Renuka Munjal and secretary Manisha Gupta welcomed the chief guest. Ms Verma appreciated the club for its great service.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms Kapoor said, "We all have kindness and love within us, but Inner Wheel gives us a platform to come together in a friendly manner to pool our resources, share our vision, set our goals and get enthused to serve the community with love and compassion."

She thanked Mr Rajinder Singh, a donor, for sponsoring the chairs. Ms Kamlesh Nagpal was the project director.

Homoeopaths remember Dr Hahnemann
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 9
The Hahnemannian Education and Research Forum (HERF) organised a seminar at the PAU here today on the eve of the birth anniversary of the founder of homoeopathy Dr Samuel Hahnemann. Nearly 350 delegates attended the seminar.

The keynote address was by Dr Ambrish Vijaykar, who discussed the main theme "Group remedies and their comparison" and made an audio-visual presentation citing reports on several incurable and hopeless cases. Dr Vijaykar, who is on the faculty of School of Predictive Homoeopathy, Mumbai, focused on group remedy analysis.

Dr Surneet Singh Mavi spoke on the life, work and experiences of Dr Samuel Hahnemann. He described in detail how Dr Hahnemann discovered homoeopathy after ascertaining the hidden property of cinchona bark during drug proving.

He presented a few reports on incurable and hopeless cases.

He commented that the entire approach of a homoeopath depended on the observation of the patient — the mannerisms, posture, gestures, the body language etc."Therefore, a homoeopath must keep his eyes open while taking the case."

CULTURE

“Preserve Punjabi traditions”
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 9
Mr Jagdev Singh Jassowal, a former MLA and chairman of the Prof Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation, has asked the cultural organisations to preserve the rich Punjabi culture, traditions and folk music. It was unfortunate that under the influence of globalisation, the rich folk music was losing its identification.

Mr Jassowal was speaking at the state-level Punjabi folk music seminar, organised by the Malwa Sabhyacharak Manch, here today. Appreciating the efforts made by the manch, Mr Jassowal said such seminars would help in bringing back the lost identity of Punjabi music.