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‘Cut paddy in Punjab by one-third’ Jangveer Singh talks to Dr GS Kalkat Chairman, Punjab State Farmers Commission
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crisis is in the making in Punjab with the Centre making it clear that it might not procure paddy from the state in the coming years. The Punjab State Farmers Commission, formed in 2005 with the aim of diversification from paddy and improving the income of small farmers, is keen to lay the foundation for sustainable diversification. Leading the idea team is commission chairman and preeminent agriculture scientist, Dr GS Kalkat, who feels maize and pulses are the need of the hour. He advocates taking up maize processing and establishment of ethanol plants in the state to make the diversification exercise truly successful. Will diversification ever happen in the real sense of the word in Punjab? It is bound to. The Centre has hinted it will not procure paddy from the state in future. Farmers will find it difficult to continue to produce paddy once procurement is not assured. The farmers are also finding it difficult to sustain paddy cultivation with considerable money being spent on re-boring tube wells and fitting them with heavy submersible motors. This will force them to rethink their options. What is the ground position and how much area needs to be taken away from paddy cultivation?
Our studies indicate that the state can sustain paddy crop in 40 lakh hectares of land without causing any imbalance in ground water levels. At present, farmers are growing paddy in 68 lakh hectares. We must move at least 12 lakh hectares away from paddy cultivation. This is absolutely essential or else a situation might arise, whereby we will not be able to grow paddy and will also be dependent on rain for irrigation of our wheat crop. What is the best bet? Maize definitely, followed by pulses. Earlier, maize was yielding 18 quintals per hectare compared to 60 quintals per hectare average yield for paddy. With new hybrid varieties, which have been tested successfully in the state, we are getting the same yields as paddy. These varieties will be demonstrated this year also on 200 hectares of land in all districts to ensure that diversification can happen in the next four to five years. What do you expect from the Centre to make this happen? Efficient marketing of maize is essential. It cannot be stored in hot weather. We have made two requests. Start maize processing in Punjab with the use of maize in poultry, cattle feed, starch and fructose, besides allowing for conversion of maize into ethanol for blending with petrol. We have also requested the Centre to increase the amount of ethanol that can be mixed in petrol from the present 5 per cent to 15 per cent. But isn't this a contentious issue? I feel this is the only option. Farmers will grow maize only if they get a good price for it. Allowing production of ethanol will encourage the industry to set up ethanol production plants in the state. We had conducted a feasibility study on this issue in 2006. It was found that the price of ethanol (Rs 21 per litre) was quite less. Since then, the prices of ethanol and petrol have gone up substantially and ethanol production would be a win-win option for both the farmers and the industry. We have requested the Centre to invite the industry to take this forward. Is anything happening on this issue in the near future? Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is expected to meet officials to continue the ongoing dialogue on diversification. The state's view is that the Centre should help it to diversify as farmers have till now being producing foodgrains to meet the national food security needs of the country. What are the other thrust areas of the commission? We have adopted a three-pronged strategy to help small farmers. The latest figures reveal that 60 per cent farmers in Punjab own up to 10 acres of land. Farmers are being encouraged to go in for net house cultivation of vegetables, establish model dairy farms, improve the quality of their cattle population and avail agricultural implements on lease through agricultural cooperatives. Appropriate subsidies are being given for all schemes, besides technical assistance. But is marketing a problem for instance in case of vegetables? Yes, it is, especially in case of a glut of a particular vegetable. It is here that the state must step in by encouraging the establishment of private collection centres, which could establish chilling facilities that could go a long way in the proper marketing of vegetables in the state as well as facilitating their export. However, to do this we would have to amend the Punjab Marketing Act. The commission has made a recommendation in this regard to the state.
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The foundation was established in 1984 by Dr Kazuo Inamori, one of Japan's most respected business leaders. He created the prize in line with his belief that a human being has no higher calling than to strive for the greater good of society, and that the future of humanity can be assured only when there is a balance between scientific progress and spiritual depth. The award comprises a diploma, a gold medal and a cash gift of 50 million yen ($630,000). Gayatri plans to donate a portion of her prize money to her foundation - Pares Chandra Chakravotry Memorial Literacy Project, which provides primary education to children in rural India. She belongs to the "first generation of Indian intellectuals after Independence", a more interesting perspective, she claims, than that of the Midnight's Children, who were "born free by chronological accident". She graduated in English from the University of Calcutta (1959) and borrowed money to go to the US in the early 60s to graduate at Cornell. She says: "I'm intellectually a very insecure person, to the extent I still feel that way". She took comparative literature because it was the only department that offered her money. Later, she taught at the University of lowa while pursuing PhD. During this time she married and later divorced an American, Talbot Spivak, but retained his last name. Her work consists of post-structuralist literary criticism and translations of Bengali writer Mahasweta Devi. She is the foundation member of the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society at Columbia University. In 2007, the university appointed her to the highest faculty rank of University Professor. She became the only woman of "colour" to be given such an honour in the 264-year-long history of the institution. Gayatri has not forgotten her Indian roots. "I wear a sari. It is the most convenient thing for me. It never occurred to me that I should change. Sometimes I wear Western clothes, but most of the times I am in saris as these are cheaper," she says. Asked if Marxism is dying as a political system, she replies: "It seems the idea that capital should be used for social justice is not an idea that's going to go away. With the breakup of the Soviet Union, it is too early to say anything." Asked if the Communist states in India got things wrong as the Marxist government in West Bengal miscalculated and went down in disgrace, Gayatri remarks: "I am not good at predictions, but like everybody else, I think about these things. The goon politics, as seen in West Bengal, is not just confined to the Communist party alone. Other states are also afflicted by this menace. Doubtless, it was one of the reasons that led to the fall of the Marxist regime".
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Eighty-year-old Nishan Kaur (name changed) was beaten up by her son in her sprawling bungalow in Sector 3, Chandigarh. A day later she met an office-bearer of the Chandigarh Senior Citizens Association. This was preceded by years of living in isolation and guarding against attempts of her son to sell the family property. Opening up slowly, she found the courage and the people to share her grief with and give a new meaning to her life. An office-bearer of the association had to lock his house in Mohali and stay in a rented apartment because his son insisted on selling the property. He was helped by the association and its members accompanied him to meetings with his son for over two years till a solution was worked out. He has, since, walked with many others like him, trying to help them live with dignity. Best team Members of the association have shown commendable results in supporting those living alone; giving them a reason to smile once more, as they mingle, share and carry on with the business of life. From nearly 3,500 such associations, the Chandigarh chapter was bestowed an award for the best overall team in the recent annual conference of the association at Thiruvananthapuram. Daljit Singh Grewal, president of the association, retired as the chairman managing director at Hindustan Shipyard, Visakhapatnam. Having spent years in the coveted chair, he wanted to use his time doing something worthwhile. “A friend introduced me to the local chapter. I was impressed meeting people from different walks of life, working together to alleviate someone’s pain. The greying population has remained in the background on the agenda of the government and even youngsters at home,” he says. The members include retired IAS officers, former Vice-Chancellors, former DGPs, 200 senior Army officers and retired Chief Income Tax Commissioners. Focus on fitness The association lays emphasis on the well-being of the elderly. Six physiotherapy centres, besides centres for reiki, acupressure and yoga, have been set up in various parts of the city. Kulwant Kaur, a regular at the Physiotherapy Centre in Sector 16, says: “My visit to the physiotherapy centre has become the most important task of the day. I look forward to it. I am able to engage my body, meet people and spend my time happily. I have made four friends and our families (only the elderly) have weekly get-togethers.” The members can be seen trying to locate alphabet on the computer keyboard at Kukhrain Bhawan in Sector 35. Surinder Singh, a retired principal, walked into the bhawan to read newspapers at leisure, but soon became a computer expert and is now helping his son in his IT business. Surjit Kaur, vice-president of the association, says: “More than a mere interaction, a common platform for seniors from different walks of life gave us a broader platform for sharing. It is encouraging to see youngsters joining us on specific training programmes to counsel for loneliness, sickness and neglect, which are the biggest bane of old age.”
Women’s empowerment Except for a paltry amount of Rs 20,000, which comes from the government as aid, Rs 10 lakh is contributed by the members annually, says Daljit Singh Grewal. The association has also extended its functioning beyond senior citizens. It also holds regular health camps and its pilot projects Shravanika, Vinita and Shakti are a benchmark for other NGOs. Project Shravanika was initiated by Lt-Col (retd) Sashikanta, inspired by the story of Shravan Kumar, the ideal son. A large number of people have taken it upon themselves to take care of the elderly, who they are not related to. A youngster, wishing anonymity, says for many years, he visited the house of Kanwar Pal Singh, a retired DGP, to read him newspapers everyday. An advocate would go to the house of Jamuna Das and spend time with him. Jamuna Das died at the age of 103. At least two bi-monthly meetings on women empowerment (Project Vinita) are held at Mauli Jagran and Indira Colony. The women are told about hygiene and healthy living. Under Project Shakti, 100 girls from Bapu Dham have been adopted by the association to bear expenses on their education and heathcare and even help them settle down. The association has done commendable work on drawing police attention towards the care of the elderly in their homes, which is important since several of them are left alone in the house after family members leave for work and children for school. Officers from all 146 police beats in the city presented their best foot forward to win the “best police beat” award during police felicitation functions organised by the association. Brig (retd) Keshav Chandra, a former president of the association, recalls: “When over 100 participants in a picnic at the Rock Garden in 1996 said an emphatic ‘yes’ to an association for senior citizens, it was then that the journey began.”
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Capt Amarinder Singh, Punjab cong chief
Aamir Khan, Actor Kapil
Dev, Former cricketer Kishore Chandra Deo,
Tribal affairs minister Kareena Kapoor
Khan, Actor
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