Shimla, September 22
The Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium (PGSC), an international team of scientists, including the local Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), has announced the release of the first draft sequence of the potato genome.

The PGSC started work on the project three years ago. The resulting “blueprint” of how the potato works could revolutionise breeding programmes.

The work was initiated by the Plant Breeding Department of Wageningen University and Research, Netherlands, and developed into a global consortium of research groups from 14 countries.

India is an active partner in this global effort and is contributing both in sequencing and bioinformatics analysis of the genome.

The effort is being financed in India exclusively by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), and work is being carried out at the CPRI which has pioneered the technology of potato production under sub-tropical weather condition.

A high throughput genome sequencing laboratory has been created at the institute for the purpose.

It would facilitate application of modern genome-based research tools for the development of high yielding and heat-tolerant potato varieties with built-in resistance to diseases and pests.

Dr NK Pande, head of the extension division, CPRI, said at present the PGSC was busy finalising the sequence data with an end goal of a high quality draft sequence of both potato lines by the end of 2009.

The genome coverage was greater than 70X, with a combination of data generated by using three different sequencing platforms, including two of the next generation sequencing platforms.

The assembly, which covered 95 per cent of the genes in potato, was possible due to a newly developed computer programme by the Beijing Genomics Institute, a member of the PGSC from China.

Access to the potato genome sequence, the “genetic blueprint” of how a potato plant grows and reproduces, would enable scientists to improve yield, quality, nutritional value and disease resistance of potato varieties.

More importantly, the potato genome sequence would permit potato breeders to reduce the period of 10 to 12 years currently needed to breed new varieties.

Shimla, September 22
Union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh has issued a legal notice to Daljeet Singh Minhas, Director General, State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, for supplying material of the questionnaire as well as of the FIR to media in illegal manner.

Virbhadra Singh, in his notice through counsel Sharwan Dogra, told Minhas “that for deliberate actions or omissions on his part outside the authority of law, would be dealt personally against him by initiating appropriate civil/criminal action.”

It was further averred in the notice that whatever was contained in the investigation files was only known to the investigating agency and the same could be made public only by known procedure of law.

The notice cautioned Minhas that it was no lawful part of duty of any public servant to give wide publicity to unsubstantiated allegations, which were yet to be proved before the court of law.

The notice finds mention that Virbhadra Singh received a copy of questionnaire in the last week of August, 2009, at his Delhi address.

However, before that, a news channel- Star News- had started displaying the questions contained in the questionnaire as well as certain excerpts from the illegal CD in their possession.

The possession of questionnaire by the above news channel made it amply clear that the same was handed over to the channel by the Bureau.

The former chief minister also issued a similar notice to the channel for displaying unauthorised and illegally recorded telephone tapped version in the CD released by Vijay Singh Mankotia.

Dharamsala, September 22
Sugar is turning bitter for the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Himachal. The sugar mills have refused to release sugar to the state government at the rates it sells through its PDS.

The Himachal government is giving sugar at the rate of Rs 13.50 per kg at its PDS shops. However, rates of sugar in the open market is about Rs 35 per kg.

Owing to the huge difference in sugar price at PDS shops in the state and the open market, sugar mill owners have refused to supply sugar for the public distribution system in Himachal.

Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Ramesh Dhawala, who was here today, told The Tribune that sugar mills were not ready to supply sugar at rates less than Rs 20 per kg for PDS in Himachal.

The sugar backlog in Himachal PDS system has gone up considerably. The minister said monthly consumption of sugar in the PDS of the state was 47,041 quintals.

However, the state was receiving just about 34,700 quintals for the past many months due to which the backlog had piled up.

He further said the matter was being taken up with the Union Food and Civil
Supplies Minister.

At present, each Himachal resident is entitled to getting 750 gram sugar per month from the PDS shops at a subsidised rate of Rs 13.50 per kg.

The supplies, through the PDS, are great cushion for the Himachal residents against inflation in rates of food items in open market.

However, the cut in supplies of sugar in the forthcoming festive season is likely take a toll on the people of the state.

If sugar mills remain adamant on selling sugar to Himachal government at higher rates, the government would either have to subsidise sugar in the PDS from its own coffer or transfer the burden to people.

In case it decides to subsidise sugar, it would increase the financial burden on the state to the tune of crores.

Already the state government is spending about Rs 90 crore per annum on subsidised food products through its PDS system.

Dharamsala, September 22
ABVP activists today locked the director of regional centre of Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) here to protest against poor conditions.

The students locked the administrative staff and director at about 12 noon. The staff had to remain locked for almost three hours.

ABVP state joint secretary Nitin Thakur, who spearheaded today’s movement, said the condition of the regional centre campus was pathetic.

Roofs of classrooms leaked, furniture were in a bad shape, library was ill-equipped and there were no proper hostels for students.

He also alleged that except for five teachers, the faculty in the centre was on an
ad hoc basis.

The students alleged that they had been making representations to officials at various levels for improving the condition of the centre since long.

However, no action was taken till date. The government was concentrating on bringing up private universities in the state.

However, the standard of the government education institutes had been declining, they alleged.

Kuldeep Agnihotri, director of the centre, when contacted, described the incident as unfortunate. “I will try to convey feelings of students to higher authorities,” he said.

Mandi, September 22
The police today booked the priest of Mata Janitri temple under the SC/ST Act (Prevention of Atrocity) at the Sarkaghat police station today on the written complaint of Gulab Singh.

A resident of Hawani, Sarkaghat, and head constable, 3rd IB Battalion, Pandoh, he charged that the priest threw them out of the temple and used derogatory remarks.

According to the FIR, Gulab Singh charged that he and his wife Shakuntla Devi went to seek blessings of the goddess on Monday.

When he sought advise of the temple priest as to where he should offer prasad, the priest asked them to go inside the temple but questioned them as to whether they were “Rajputs” or not. However, he charged that as soon as he said he was a Harijan, it infuriated the priest.

“He almost threw us out of the temple and used filthy language and threatened that no Harijan could enter this temple,” he added. The police has registered a case but yet to arrest the priest.