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Wheat fiasco and farmers’ options
PCMS doctors stage dharna
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Centurion Bank of Punjab to open 39 new branches
Kalam likely to visit Sultanpur Lodhi
Gang rape accused still absconding
One killed in lightning
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Wheat fiasco and farmers’ options
Jalandhar, April 24 The Centre’s belated decision to pay a bonus of Rs 50 a quintal on wheat procured by official agencies has caused heart-burning among certain farmers. Those who had sold their stocks to private traders will not get the bonus, to be paid from April 1. In Kapurthala traders have bought large stocks of wheat by paying a Re 1 more on the minimum support price of Rs 650. Markfed pays Rs 5 more on the MSP. According to media reports, a “syndicate” of traders has made huge profits by reselling recently procured wheat stocks to buyers from outside the state at Rs 790 a quintal. Buyers from the South and Assam have reportedly booked wheat at Rs 950 a quintal for delivery in July. This is bound to leave bitter even those farmers who may get the MSP plus the bonus. Farmers do not understand the way markets operate. They are not united or financial stable enough to hold back wheat during a glut and dispose it of when the demand and prices pick up. The mechanism of assessing future demand and supply is not available to them. Even the farmers who have formed unions do not know how to deal with the market forces. They can pay for a prolonged agitation, but will not hire an expert to guide them on wheat or paddy trading. Agriculture experts guide them on what to grow and when, but themselves are ill-equipped to advise farmers on the art of trading. The government has not created the required back-up infrastructure to help farmers store foodgrains or organise cooperatives to do the commodities business. Farmers fail to recover even the cost of their inputs. But traders have acquired the skill to sell at the right price in the right market and make profits. Farmers unload their stuff in the nearby mandi. He has little choice. An average farmer is not literate enough to keep tab on commodity prices. But experts are available — free from government institutions or PAU and at a price from anywhere. Cooperatives do not run successfully in this part of the country without official blessings. Farmers may unite for a protest, but not for common good. And the government is pulling out of the foodgrain procurement business. Agriculture is a business and it should be run like that. An overuse of inputs or machinery will only inflate the production cost. Farmers in Bihar, UP and Madhya Pradesh do not suffer losses on their produce because they keep their costs to the minimum. What farmers and even the government have failed to appreciate is the MSP is only the minimum price. A bonus will not help much if the ruling price in the market is higher than the MSP plus bonus. In the past the MSP had often meant the maximum price. In the recent past the wheat prices have firmed up. That is partly because of higher demand from the southern states. To arrest the price rise, the government decided to import five lakh tonnes of wheat from Austrlia. The decision was widely criticised on the ground that it was badly timed since domestic prices would crash once the imported wheat arrived at the start of the procurement season. This, however, has not happened. The Centre, last week, again decided to import three metric tonnes of wheat. This shows mishandling of the country’s food security. From being foodgrain surplus, the country has, for the first time, become a large importer of wheat in the post-Green Revolution period. Ironically, only a couple of years ago the country had exported wheat at half the domestic prices, that too largely for use in cattlefeed. And experts, with a very few exceptions, were suggesting diversification of crops from the wheat-paddy cycle! |
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PCMS doctors stage dharna
Jalandhar, April 24 Dr Kamaljit, organising secretary, said the appointees selected through the procedure were still not clear about the salaries they would be paid. He claimed that no one was sure as to how Rs 30,000 would be split among doctors, pharmacists and paramedical staff, and be utilised for other services such as electricity, water supply, maintenance and medicines. The association members also claimed that the staff was not made aware of the facts concerning the drawing and disbursing officer. They added that the status of the doctors, who had been termed as contractors or service providers, was also not clear.
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Centurion Bank of Punjab to open 39 new branches
Jalandhar, April 24 Mr Anil Jaggia, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the bank, said this during a press conference here today soon after he concluded a 15-day road show organised to promote the bank’s foreign exchange services in rural Punjab. He said the bank already had 241 branches, including 69 in Punjab. Mr Jaggia said the bank had a huge clientele settled overseas who wanted to pump in money for their relatives, friends and customers here. He said that the bank was exporting nearly 100 different currencies worth 2,900 crore dollars obtained through remittances. Of these, nearly 20 to 30 per cent was coming from Punjab through NRIs and tourists, he added. The bank COO estimated that currency to the tune of 23 billion dollars was being exchanged in India, of which nearly one lakh crore dollars was inward remittance. He said that his estimates were based on the reports that he had gathered from the RBI. Giving details of the milestones that the bank had crossed till December, 2004, he said that the balance-sheet had touched Rs 10,200 crore. He said that an amount of Rs 8,200 crore was deposited with the bank, while the loans and advances withdrawn from the bank amounted to Rs 700 crore. He said that he could not give figures of the past three months, as these were yet to be approved by the board during a meeting to be held in May this year. Mr Sudarshan Motswani, Head, Foreign Exchange Services, said that rural populace of 42 villages in Punjab were made aware of the foreign exchange facilities through road shows and door to door visits. He said that the addresses and the contacts of family members of the residents settled abroad were being noted down by the bank so that they, too, could be informed about the bank’s services through e-mails.
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Kalam likely to visit Sultanpur Lodhi
Sultanpur Lodhi, April 24 Baba Seechewal, who took up the cudgels to clean the Kali Bein with the participation of the community in July 2000, has succeeded in cleaning the rivulet of pollutants up to 170 km. While talking to media persons, Baba Seechewal said that he had apprised the president of the difficulties being faced by him in carrying out the cleaning work of the Bein. During the meeting, the President had assured him of full help from the government, Baba Seechewal added. “When the President asked I apprised him of the pollutants and other sewage being thrown into the Bein at Kapurthala, Begowal, Bolath, Dasuya and other villages,” Baba said, adding that “President Kalam had suggested that the municipal committees, panchayats and gurdwara leaders should be persuaded not to pollute the Bein.” Meanwhile, Baba Seechewal, after waiting for more than two months, today started the work to lay a pipeline to dispose of the treated water drained out from the sewage treatment plant of Sultanpur Lodhi. The followers of Baba have manufactured the 18-inch- diametre cement pipes. In February last, Baba had raised a dyke to stop water from the treatment plant from falling into the Bein. That time, the district administration had promised to lay a pipeline draining out this water to the fields of local farmers within 45 days. However, it failed to keep its promise. Baba is also working on the construction of a bathing ghat on the backside of Gurdwara Ber Sahib at Sultanpur Lodhi, which is likely to be completed before the President’s visit. He has already built five bathing ghats at Kanjli, Sultanpur Lodhi, Bholath, and Gallowal. Mr Raminder Singh, Deputy Commissioner, Kapurthala, said that he was also been informed by Baba Seechewal about the visit of the President. He added that he had held discussions with Baba in this regard on Saturday. “I had received a call from Mr Swaminathan, Secretary to the President, who had said that Baba should be given all assistance in his efforts to clean the Bein,”he added.
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Gang rape accused still absconding
Jalandhar, April 24 The trio had been booked under Sections 363, 376, 342 and 451 of the IPC on the basis of the statement by the victim. The trio had allegedly forced their way into the house of a labourer, who works to stitch footballs, and picked up his daughter. They later allegedly took the girl to a nearby kothi belonging to one of the accused and raped her. The girl unable to bear the humiliation had reportedly tried to end her life by consuming poison. Around 72 hours have passed, but the accused are still absconding. DSP Harkanwalpreet Singh Khakh, when contacted, said the raids were being conducted at the residences of the accused. The three accused had no previous record of crime, he added. The victim’s family, which alleged that the accused had threatened its members, has not been provided any security by the police. |
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One killed in lightning
Kapurthala, April 24 According to information, the deceased, Balkar Singh, was working in his fields when it started raining in the morning. He took a shelter under a tree. He was killed on the spot when lightning struck him under the tree. — TNS |
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