The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Subsidy fails to promote biogas unit scheme Ashutosh Sharma Tribune News Service Jammu, August 12 The efforts of the Agriculture Department in popularising biogas plants have failed to evoke good response in the Jammu region despite the fact that more than 60 per cent of its population is engaged in agriculture and allied sectors in the rural areas. Under a national agriculture development programme, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY), the department provides 90 per cent financial assistance to the beneficiaries for setting up a biogas unit. But going by the official figures, in Jammu division consisting of 10 districts, only 20 biogas units were established in the last year. Each biogas unit costs Rs 35,000, out of which the department provides Rs 31,500 as subsidy under the RKVY. The unit for its proper functioning requires 40-45 kg of cow dung and an equal quantity of water daily for which four animals are required. One biogas unit is said to be sufficient for a family of four members. The primary reason behind the unpopularity of biogas units is believed to be a lack of awareness among the people engaged in agriculture and allied activities like dairy and poultry. “If the concept of biogas units and vermicompost units gets properly implemented it would certainly be fruitful for the farming community, which is faced with many challenges. But the problem with the farmer-oriented welfare schemes is that the people remains unaware,” said Choudhary Dev Raj, a progressive farmer, and president of the RS Pura Rice Growers Association. He urged the department to create awareness about the schemes. “The department of agriculture and allied departments like the Jammu and Kashmir Energy Development Agency do not hold awareness campaigns and as a result, the number of beneficiaries remains dismal,” he observed and asked as to why the process of implementation of such schemes lacked accountability on part of the officials concerned. Choudhary added, “There are many such departments which are supposed to work for the welfare of farmers, but it is an irony that the latter do not even know where the offices of such departments are located. Therefore, the schemes remain only on paper mainly because of laxity on part of the implementing agencies”. Another progressive farmer from Akhnoor, Devi Dayal said: “To improve the rural economy, there should be a social audit about the implementation of such schemes. The state government is always negligent towards the implementation of centrally sponsored schemes”. Ajay Khajuria, director, agriculture, said: “The department used to set up biogas units some years ago and then the practice was discontinued and as the same work was handed over to an allied department”. “There were many complaints regarding technical problems in the functioning of the units and it discouraged people to some extent. This is the reason as to why people still feel reluctant about setting up biogas units,” he said and added, “Last year, the department again started establishing biogas units under the RKVY. Now, we have one biogas engineer at every district headquarters to rectify the technical problems related to the units. I hope that more and more people will take to cost effective biogas units in the years to come”.
	Long-pending demands Govt employees preparing to launch ‘decisive’ struggle Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, August 12 Even as the state government has been claming that a group within the agitating employees has opposed the proposed strike call, the Government Employees Joint Action Committee (GEJAC) has claimed that they have the support of a majority of the employees and the ongoing struggle would be further intensified to expose anti-employees policies of the government. The GEJAC has vowed to take the agitation to its logical end to get all its genuine demands fulfilled. The committee, which comprises 35 unions and organisations of employees, has warned the government against creating a division among the employees by luring some of their leaders. To present unity among the employees, all senior leaders recently addressed a joint press conference and asked the government to view its road map for paying arrears of the Sixth Pay Commission. The GEJAC further demanded that instead of transferring arrears to the GP Fund, it should be given in cash. For the past three years, state government employees have been agitating in support of their demands. Earlier, the employees had started an indefinite strike which was later called off following assurances by the government. “All assurances given by the government remained only on paper. Now, we are preparing for a decisive battle against the government’s anti-employees policies,” Suresh Sharma, media in charge of GEJAC, told The Tribune. Sharma said a meeting of different trade unions had been convened on September 3 to devise a strategy to launch a decisive war against the government. Giving reasons for not participating in a two-day strike call given by a section of the employees on August 5 and 6, Sharma alleged that the strike was government-sponsored aimed at creating a divide in the unity among all employee unions. “The decision of give a strike call before involving all unions was wrong and it was the result of this wrong decision that the strike did not evoke much response”, he pointed out and said the GEJAC had convened a meeting on September 3 only to seek viewpoint of all organisations for giving a strike call. Besides arrears of the Sixth Pay Commission, over 4 lakh government employees in the state have been agitating for the enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years, regularisation of all daily wagers, contractual, consolidated and ad hoc employees, removal of pay anomalies of all cadres etc. “It is unfortunate that the government has been trying to privatise the public sector undertakings. It is our demand that budgetary support should be given to the sick PSUs to make them functional,” Sharma added.
	37,000 Kashmiri manuscripts archived New Delhi, August 12 The preservation of the history of the Jammu and Kashmir region has been given a new lease of life with the digitisation of thousands of rare manuscripts. The National Mission for Manuscripts has documented 37,379 ancient manuscripts through its two manuscript resource centres in Jammu & Kashmir and Leh since its inception in 2003 to preserve the country's written heritage, Culture Minister Kumari Selja said in the Rajya Sabha recently. The Minister, in response to a query, said: “The Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) has microfilmed the entire collection of 5,437 manuscripts of the Ranbir Sanskrit Research Institute in Jammu". The IGNCA has also microfilmed seven manuscripts belonging to Charar-e-Sharif, the Minister said. The ancient manuscripts at the shrine of Charar-e-Sharif had suffered extensive damage in terrorist strikes during the peak of insurgency in Kashmir. The town, a popular tourist destination, plays host to pilgrims during the annual Urs at the mausoleum of Sheikh Noor-ud-din, also known as Nund Rishi, a Kashmiri seer, who belonged to the rishi order. Kashmir is an archive of heritage manuscripts belonging to the Hindu and Islamic eras. — IANS
	Monkeys in state different from those outside Archit Watts Tribune News Service Jammu, August 12 Monkeys in the state look different from simians in the rest of the country, as they have stopped using their cheek pouches. The simians found outside the state have chubby cheeks, but in Jammu and Kashmir, they have slim cheeks. “A cheek pouch is inside the mouth of every monkey for storing food. This is a survival technique. But the monkeys here have stopped using this pouch, which has made them look slimmer,” said Upinder Pachnanda, Chief Forest Conservator (Wildlife) of Jammu division. Confirming the change in the face of simians found here, Pachnanda said they had recently conducted a survey in this regard, wherein they had found that monkeys had stopped using their cheek pouches, which was a unique characteristic of the animal. “A majority of people coming to the state feed monkeys on roadsides, which has changed the habit of monkeys. Now, monkeys don’t store food in their cheek pouch, because whenever they need food, they come on the road and get it easily,” maintained Pachnanda, adding that this illegal act being committed by humans was changing the food habit of the wild animal. He added that though the department was trying its best to keep a check on the illegal practice of feeding monkeys, the problem was persisting. About the department’s failure in controlling it, he cited the shortage of manpower and lack of funds as the main reasons. “We have appealed to the public not to feed these animals, by installing a number of boards on the roadsides, but the practice is going unabated. We have the power to penalise violators, but the lack of staff is proving a major hurdle,” Pachnanda added. The department was keen to solve the problem, but it would take a long time, he said.
	Srinagar Diary Auto-rickshaw, taxi operators flout norms The civil administration recently came out with a firm directive for auto-rickshaw operators to charge fixed rates from passengers as per the distance covered. This was done in view of the absence of fare meters in auto-rickshaws and taxis plying in the capital city and elsewhere in the Valley. Though the rates have been fixed for auto-rickshaws as per the distance covered from the Lal Chowk, there is hardly any adherence to the rates. There is no fixed rate on some of the selected routes in different parts of the city. Due to this, the common man gets easily fleeced by auto-rickshaw operators. The authorities have been trying to regulate the fare but the efforts continue to go waste. There has hardly been any evidence of fare meters installed in taxis or auto-rickshaws in the Valley. If the installation of fare meters is ensured and the common man becomes familiar with its use, there would definitely be an end to the practice of fleecing by the operators of commercial vehicle. The authorities, under the influence of vested interests, have been taking least interest in asserting their official positions for the benefit of the common man. Besides, auto-rickshaw operators openly violate traffic rules. For instance, they stop their vehicles anywhere in the road (see photo) as there are no registered auto stands for a fleet of over 10,000 such vehicles across the Valley. Markets witness huge rush during Ramzan With the beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramzan from August 2, the markets have started witnessing a huge rush of shoppers. This change is usually witnessed during this holy month when the entire town wears a festive look. While a majority of people hold dawn-to-dusk fast, many devote more time in saying prayers and recitation of the holy Quran. There is much religious fervour in offering five daily prayers in mosques. As the holy month is coming to an end, the preparations for Eid-ul-Fitr are increasing day by day. There is hustle and bustle in the markets for buying of essential commodities, vegetables, mutton, chicken, etc. In the coming days, the markets here would witness more rush of people shopping for Eid festival at the end of this lunar month. (Contributed by Ehsan Fazili)
	State cement firm told to bring efficiency in production Ehsan Fazili Tribune News Service Srinagar, August 12 The performance of J&K Cements Ltd has shown significant improvements on both cement sale and production fronts over the years. This information was put forth at the 95th board meeting of Jammu and Kashmir Cements Ltd held under the chairmanship of Minister for Industries and Commerce SS Slathia here recently. It was informed that the company has produced 58,181 metric tonnes of cement and 56,916 metric tonnes of clinker during the first four month of the current fiscal and conducted sale of over 57,302 metric tonnes of cement during the same period earning a revenue of about Rs 38.67 crore against a sale of 41,785 metric tonnes with a revenue of just Rs 24.40 crore during the corresponding period of the last fiscal year. The managing director of J&K Cements Ltd informed the board that the company was providing employment to more than 1,000 semi-skilled, skilled, specialised and super-specialised people directly or indirectly. “In addition to this, about 200 distributors and sub-dealers are engaged in the sale promotion of our cement. The company has played significant sole in the development of the state and is also a major contributor by way of ensuring timely supply of cement for the construction of major projects like hydel power projects, water treatment plants, bridges, canals, etc. The company is supplying cement in bulk quantities to Leh, Kargil, Defence Services, State Public Works Department, Power Development Corporation. The company also played an important role during the uneventful happening of cloud burst in Leh and Kargil districts of the Ladakh region by making the cement readily available at the doorsteps of the needy and marketed 2,11,360 and 2,43,340 bags of cement in Leh and Kargil, respectively,” he said. He said all the section of the cement plant had been brought under pollution control installing the Electro Static Precipitators, Gas Conditioning Towers and Reserve Pulse Jet system of anti-pollution devices which were working satisfactorily. Impressing upon J&K Cements Ltd to improve the capacity utilisation of its cement plant optimally, Slathia has called for making its product cost effective to compete in the open market. Speaking at the meeting, Slathia enjoined upon the company to device its marketing strategy so that it could compete with the private sector, adding that full support of the government would be available for launching a promotional strategy to enhance the sale of its product in the private market. “The company should not rely on government purchases only, but offer sales incentives to make its cement product affordable for a common consumer,” Slathia maintained. He also urged for bringing professionalism in the management, besides making the total hierarchy accountable. The company must also devise some alternate power back-up system to reduce production losses due to power curtailments and break down. “The government can even provide subsidy for procuring diesel generator sets for running the cement plant under the existing industrial policy,” the Minister assured.
	J&K Minerals sets Rs 19-cr sales target for 2010-11 Ehsan Fazili Tribune News Service Srinagar, August 12 J&K Minerals Ltd has set an ambitious target of production and sale of coal, gypsum and sapphire corundum to the tune of Rs 1,900 lakh for the current fiscal. In the 163rd meeting of board of directors of the corporation, the managing director reported that the corporation generated all-time high revenue of Rs 15.56 crore in 2010-11 vis-à-vis Rs 11.97 crore of its previous year, thus registered a growth of over 30 per cent mainly by selling 25,906.933 metric tonnes of coal and 49,115.665 metric tonnes of gypsum and significantly restricted the annual expenditure to the extent of Rs 14.46 crore, thus generated cash surplus for the first time since its inception i.e. after 1962. He further stated that the revenue growth in just two years time had been over 94 per cent as compared to the achievements of 2008-09. In this fiscal, the corporation is targeting to produce and sell 27,000 metric tonnes of coal and 70,000 metric tonnes of gypsum, besides sapphire corundum. The board of directors gladly noticed the unique achievement of extraction of 63.63 grams and 13.30 grams pieces of sapphire crystals in 2010-11 which would fetch many crores to increase liquidity position of the corporation. The board was reported that the services of Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, Government of India, is being availed for the proper valuation of these precious pieces so that the same are put up to auction in national/international markets. The board also noted that the corporation is availing the services of the Mineral Exploration Corporation of India (MECL) for undertaking extensive exploration at coal mines, Kalakot, to identify the huge reserves of coal. The Magnesite Project, Panthal, which is coming up in joint venture with the NMDC, Government of India, with the investment of Rs 153 crore, was discussed at length. While discussing the status, the board noted that the construction work in the project would start in a couple of months. The project would be completed in two year’s time and it will generate wide employment opportunities to the locals.