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Food processing sector has potential to uplift rural economy, say experts
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A file photograph of Shruti’s parents
Muktsar school shut to lodge Kabaddi World Cup organisers
Badal rejects move to freeze wheat MSP
State touches new high in paddy procurement despite scanty rain
Devotees go without langar at gurdwara
Sikhs were killed in Jharkhand, UP too during riots: AISSF
World
Disability Day
Police seeks 2,000 more personnel for Jor Mela
Varsity to name an award after Gujral
No funds for Mata Kaushalya scheme
Consumer commission fines builder
Buses challaned in drive to enforce HC directive
Police to educate people on Saanjh Kendras this week
Asha workers boycott survey on cancer
Transport Nagar in state of neglect
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Technology transfer to fields low in state
Chandigarh, December 3 From straw balers to rice transplanters, high-powered tractors to micro-irrigation systems, the farm technology on display at the Agro Tech is meant to solve most of the problems faced by agriculturists. These technological solutions are attracting farmers in droves, but the high cost of these machines, poor availability of finance and scarce availability of spares and service centres across Punjab are standing in way of adoption of technology by the state farmers. Punjab, with its strength of 4.35 lakh tractors, 6,070 tractor-driven and 8,130 self-propelled combines, 8,700 rotavators and 5,250 potato planters, is considered amongst the most-mechanised states for farming activities. However, because of the fragmented land holdings, low returns, poor finance availability and almost no subsidies on these farm equipment, their adoption is low. Pradeep Malik, member of board, Claas India Ltd, said technology transfer to the fields was much low. “Technology is available. But because of poor finance options and few subsidies, farmers find it difficult to buy farm equipment. Though Claas India has set up regional training centres to make technology available to the farmers, it needs government and agri-extension support before the farmers adopt equipment like straw balers, which can cut off paddy/wheat straw in a scientific manner,” he said. Gurcharan Singh, a farmer from Joga village in Mansa, said an average farmer could not afford to buy straw balers, which costs Rs 8.75 lakh. “Haryana gives a subsidy of Rs 1 lakh to buy these balers. But, there is no such scheme in Punjab. High-powered and air-conditioned tractors or rice transplanters that can solve the problem of labour shortage are also expensive. Besides, cooperative buying is not prevalent in the state,” he said. Palwinder Singh, a farmer from Baronga village near Fatehgarh Sahib, said while crop loan was available at an interest rate of 4 per cent, interest charged on buying farm equipment was almost 13 per cent. “Besides, banks are not keen on financing these machines,” he said. RS Khadwalia, chairman of Indo Farm Equipments, which will launch 120-HP and 150-HP tractors soon, said though farmer cooperatives were buying some equipment, it was still limited to a few pockets. “Our high-powered tractors have been bought by some cooperative societies in Mansa. But since private ownership is preferred in Punjab, adoption of such equipment is slow,” he said. major
hiccups No finance: Most banks are reluctant to extend loan to farmers for farm equipment No subsidy: Though Haryana Government gives a subsidy of Rs 1 lakh for buying straw balers, there is no such scheme in Punjab Private ownership: Cooperative buying is not prevalent in the state as farmer prefer private ownership, which makes adoption of technology slow
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Food processing sector has potential to uplift rural economy, say experts
Chandigarh, December 3 Amit Saraogi, managing director, Anmol Group, in his keynote address, said foreign direct investment in retail would be beneficial for the food processing sector. Giving an example of Bihar, he said in the last five years, this sector had done wonders in the state where a slight change was made in taxation laws. Piruz Khambatta, chairman, CII National Committee on Food Processing, said: “To make India the ‘food factory of world’, a good advertisement campaign is needed.” S Venkatraman, senior vice-president and principal, Rabo Equity Advisers, said packaging these days contained a lot of information, but the consumers did not care to read it. During a session on grain storage and warehousing as part of a conference on post-harvest infrastructure, it was pointed out that grain storage played a crucial role in promoting agriculture marketing, rural banking, financing and ensuring food security in the country. It solved the problems of both glut and scarcity. Sanjay Kaul, managing director and chief executive officer, National Collateral Management Services Ltd, said 80 per cent of the handling and warehousing facilities were not mechanised and traditional manual methods for loading, unloading and handling of foodgrain and other commodities were used. “The grain production in our country is far more than the available storage capacity. Storage houses lack scientific technology due to which 50,000 tonnes of grain is wasted every year. There is an urgent need to overcome this problem,” he added.
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Suspected
Honour Killing
Samana, December 3 Even though the Sangrur police suspects foul play, no FIR has been lodged even after five days of the incident. The deceased, Manpreet Kaur, was a Class XI student of the Samana Government School. She was last seen with her father Amrik Singh and an uncle on November 28 afternoon. Manpreet’s brother Sukhwinder Singh, 11, told The Tribune: “Some months back, a school official told us that he had seen Manpreet talking to a boy outside the school. My father was furious and he warned my sister to mend her ways. Later, he caught the two red-handed.” Sukhwinder said his father had got Manpreet engaged to a local boy a fortnight ago but she kept resisting their attempts to get her married. “On November 28, my father and uncle took Manpreet out. In the evening, I got a call from them that they were in their village Gujran in Dirbha and that my sister had died under mysterious circumstances”, he told The Tribune. Samana Station House Officer (SHO) Guriqbal Sikand said the girl’s family had confessed that she had been killed. He said Manpreet’s cousin Soni said: “My uncle told me that Manpreet’s belongings had been burnt and the ashes immersed into a water channel near Tharha Sahib.” Dirbha SHO Krishan Kumar Panthe said they could not take any action as they did not know if Manpreet was killed in Gujran village in Dirbha or was only cremated here. “Moreover we have yet to receive a complaint”, he said. The law clearly states that the police can register a case pertaining to murder even if no complaint is received. Sangrur Senior Superintendent of Police HS Bhullar said he had directed the Dirbha SHO to look into the matter. “We will register a case and arrest the accused”, he said, adding that the SHO was investigating the matter. When contacted Patiala Zone, Inspector-General of Police Paramjit Singh Gill said he would order a probe into the matter.
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Shruti Case: Challan ready, HC told
Chandigarh, December 3 As a petition filed by Shruti Sachdeva’s parents for an independent probe into the abduction case came up for hearing, the Faridkot police insisted before the High Court that there was no need to hand over the case to the CBI or any other agency. The police also informed the Bench that the Faridkot Senior Superintendent of Police had issued specific directions to ensure the security of Shruti’s parents. An affidavit by Faridkot Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Jaswinder Pal was also placed on record. The case will come up
for final arguments on December 17. Taking up the petition filed by Ashwani Kumar Sachdeva and Seema Sachdeva, Justice Jitendra Chauhan had on a previous date of hearing directed their counsel Surinder Garg to place before the Bench details of the FIRs registered against Nishan Singh. Training their guns at the Punjab Police, the Sachdevas in their petition had asserted that Nishan Singh had links with higher police officials as well as politicians. Claiming that “he was working under their guidance”, they had said that the police was “hand-in-glove with the accused…. The non-initiation of action against Nishan Singh though a number of cases have been registered against him shows that he has links with high-ups and even the police.” They had said that Shruti had told them at the Faridkot CJM’s court that if she was taken home, he family would be eliminated. The parents had also claimed that the procedure of recording statements twice adopted by the CJM’s court was “unknown to law”. Initially, Shruti had said that she wanted to go with her parents and had also agreed to being medically examined. As such, it was “not proper for the Judge to record the statement again”.
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Muktsar school shut to lodge Kabaddi World Cup organisers
Doda (Muktsar), December 3 A stadium adjoining the school is the venue for three kabaddi matches on December 5. The school classrooms are being given a fresh look to accommodate a number of officials and players. Students were told to return home at
11 am today. Locals said the stadium, built by the Public Works Department (B&R) in 2010, was being used by the school authorities for the morning assembly and other activities. Narotam Dass, school principal, said: “Most of the classrooms are being used by the district administration for kabaddi matches. Arrangements were made to hold classes near the mid-day meals kitchen, but it can’t accommodate all students.” Attempts to contact District Education Officer (DEO) Gurinderpal Kaur proved futile as she was busy at a meeting. Attari: A 16-member Pakistani kabaddi team finally arrived through the Attari-Wagah land route on Monday. The team is headed by coach Tahir Muhid. “Of the 27 visa applications, 11 members, including the secretary of the Kabaddi Association, have not received their visas till date,” said Mumtaz Ahmad, manager of Pakistan’s kabaddi team.
Illegal hoardings
galore Muktsar stadium
rejected
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Badal rejects move to freeze wheat MSP
Chandigarh, December 3 In a statement here, Badal demanded an MSP of Rs 1,800 per quintal against the last year's Rs1,285 per quintal. The Chief Minister said the Centre's decision to give Rs 40 per quintal bonus on wheat to farmers, most of whom had been facing a financial crisis, was a cruel joke. He said as per an estimate, the escalated prices of farm inputs had put an additional burden of Rs 1,000 crore on the farming community. He said it was ironical that the country was importing wheat from Australia at rates higher than Rs 1,800 per quintal. He asked the Centre to implement Dr MS Swaminathan's formula to hike MSP by providing a margin of 50 per cent over the cost of production to the farmers to ensure remunerative prices.
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State touches new high in paddy procurement despite scanty rain
Chandigarh, December 3 Paddy procurement has already crossed 133 lakh tonnes during the current kharif season. An official spokesperson, in a statement, said the achievement had been possible due to the hard work put in by farmers who had to incur an additional expenditure of Rs 900 crore on diesel to save their paddy crop. Similarly, the state government had spent Rs 5,200 crore to provide free electricity to farmers during the dry period, the statement said. Pungrain has secured the top position in procurement with 29.6 per cent of paddy, followed by Punsup and Markfed at 22.8 per cent each. The spokesperson said state agencies had procured 95.4 per cent of the paddy while 4.6 per cent had been procured by millers. The statement said Ludhiana district, with 15.7 lakh tonnes of procurement, was leading in the field whereas Sangrur district, with 15.5 lakh tonnes, was at the second position, followed by Patiala, with 12.39 lakh tonnes, at the third slot.
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Devotees go without langar at gurdwara
Ferozepur, December 3 Talking to The Tribune over the phone, Devi Dyal Prashar, president of the Shree Brahmin Sabha, which had organised the “Rin Uttar Yatra”, said the sangat comprising 6,000 elderly men, women and children were not allowed to enter Bhai Lakhi Shah Hall even though they had permission of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee chief PS Sarna to stay there for the night. The sangat had to go without langar. Prashar alleged that despite the sabha having booked the hall for November 23 night (vide letter no. SBSP/2012-13/2025), the sangat was not allowed inside when it reached the gurdwara at 10. 30 pm. “When I, along with senior functionaries of the sabha, went inside, a group led by Charanjit Singh threatened us that we would be thrashed by members of the gurdwara task force. It was only on the intervention of some Sikh devotees that the staff allowed us to spend the night in the langar hall,” said Prashar. “It is probably for the first time that a Sikh shrine has turned away devotees seeking shelter and food,” he regretted. He said the sabha had written to the Akalt Takt chief to ensure such an incident did not recur.
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Sikhs were killed in Jharkhand, UP too during riots: AISSF
Moga, December 3 The All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) and Sikhs for Justice have claimed that 90 Sikhs were allegedly killed at Bokaro in Jharkhand and Allahabad and Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh during the 1984 riots. AISSF president Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad has alleged that the local Congress leaders of these cities were responsible for the massacres and that no legal action had been taken against them so far. The AISSF also released a list of 90 Sikhs allegedly killed in the riots. Peer Mohammad lashed out at respective Jharkhand (formerly Bihar) and Uttar Pradesh governments for “not ensuring the prosecution of all those guilty even after 28 years of the incidents”. “All the evidences and witnesses are available against the identified leaders of the mob that led the massacres but the respective governments have not taken any action against them,” he said. He claimed that in the first week of November 1984, a mob had allegedly burnt several Sikhs alive at Gurdwara Singh Sabha situated in the heart of Bokaro city.
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World
Disability Day
Muktsar, December 3 A visit to various government buildings in the town found that differently abled persons were not able to enter a number of them because of lack of ramps with railings and non-availability of wheelchairs. The District Administrative Complex is one among such structures where differently abled persons cannot reach the top two storeys of the building. “The complex houses a number of offices. Still, neither the authorities concerned have made any ramp nor escalators have been installed to facilitate the differently abled,” said octogenarian Balveer Singh, a resident of Ghumiara village. The condition is almost similar at the Senior Superintendent of Police office. Though it is situated on the ground floor in District Police Lines, the building does not have a ramp. Similarly, the Sanjh Kendra established at Muktsar (city) police station is not accessible to the differently abled. Among other government offices that fall in this category are those of Animal Husbandry, District Education, District Public Relations, District Food Supply and Department of Posts. “These buildings need to be altered to make them friendly for the differently abled,” said a social activist, Raman Kumar. Recently, a judge, during an inspection of government buildings, had taken note of the faulty structure of these buildings and ordered the authorities concerned to make the required alterations.
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Police seeks 2,000 more personnel for Jor Mela
Fatehgarh Sahib,
December 3 The annual mela is held at the historic Fatehgarh Sahib Gurdwara to mark the martyrdom of the two ‘sahibzadas’ (sons of Guru Gobind Singh) who were bricked alive in Fatehgarh Sahib. The mela draws over 10 lakh devotees. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Hardial Singh Mann said that close circuit TV (CCTV) cameras would be installed at strategic places to check the activities of the anti-social
elements and maintain peace at the fair. Mann said as far as the security arrangements were concerned, police personnel would be deployed at entry points and parking sites would be earmarked. He said that the traffic would be diverted through link roads and no vehicle would be allowed at
the venue. He said two types of passes would be issued during the fair. One would be issued to police and administrative officials posted in the area and the other type would be issued to the residents living near
the shrine. He however, said the persons holding such passes would not be allowed to pass through the nakas near the shrine. Mann said that they would also seek details about the pickpockets active in the neighbouring districts. He said that they were also contemplating a plan to set up a stage where the artistes could play skits to spread awareness among the devotees on drug abuse.
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Varsity to name an award after Gujral
Patiala, December 3 Dr Jaspal Singh, the Vice Chancellor of the University, said the university would also start a special series of lectures to elaborate on the Gujral doctrine, which were a set of guidelines for India to follow in its relations with its neighbours. The forthcoming meeting of the syndicate will be taken into confidence for the ratification of these decisions, Dr Singh said.
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No funds for Mata Kaushalya scheme
Sangrur, December 3 No payment has been made to more than 300 mothers who had delivered babies at the Civil Hospital here in the past more than one month. The scheme was launched by the state government in June 2011 to promote institutional deliveries. Earlier, the state government had failed to provide funds for the scheme between December 2011 and May 14, 2012.
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Consumer commission fines builder
Chandigarh, December 3 The commission rejected the appeal of the developers and directed them to pay Rs 2,500 as litigation expenses and Rs 10,000 as special costs. The proposed residential flat, measuring 1,000-1,100 square feet, was assured to be handed over within one year from the date of booking in January 2007. When the company officials were asked in January 2008 about why he had not been allotted the flat, there was no response. The appellants remained silent and did not inform the respondent about the development in the project, nor the date of allotment or the status of approval of the project. The dismissal order held that district forum was right in pointing out that “the company has failed to offer the allotment of flat within the time which amounts to deficiency in service and Arvind Sharma is at liberty to withdraw the booking amount. The respondent has been harassed and is entitled to compensation.” The commission also upheld that “Sharma cannot wait for allotment and the possession of the flat indefinitely. The company has not disclosed any time limit within which it would be able to start and complete the construction and deliver the possession of flats to the applicants. It is deficiency in service on its part.” It was also noted that “photographs placed on record proved that no development had been carried out at the site, where the flats were to be built. “Instead, the appellants kept on enlarging their area with the sole motive of earning profit and enriching themselves and the respondent was left with no alternative, except to seek a refund of the amount already deposited and filed the complaint in the year 2010. “The appellants are neither allotting any flat, nor delivering any possession and are not willing even to refund the amount and filed an appeal against the order of the District Forum,” the order added.
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Buses challaned in drive to enforce HC directive
Ludhiana, December 3 According to information available, four District Transport Officers (DTOs) were sent to Ludhiana to challan buses found plying illegally or carrying commercial goods without the requisite permit. Two DTOs were deputed to check buses at Ladhowal, one at the bus stand and one near the railway station. A team member, requesting anonymity, said, “We challaned 10 buses in Ludhiana and collected a fine of Rs 94,000. We will approach the Excise Department to check if the goods confiscated are commercial or passenger." The official said they could not catch any bus near the railway station. "The bus operators are well connecte. They were tipped off about the drive," he said. The official further said seven more DTOs were deputed to check buses at the Shambhu barrier in Patiala and Phagwara bypass last night. Two secretaries from Jalandhar and Ferozepur divisions also accompanied the officials in the drive. Bus operators had been openly violating the High Court’s directions and plying buses in the state illegally. They were carrying heavy loads of commercial goods on sleeper buses while other operators were ferrying passengers on a tourist permit in Ludhiana and
Amritsar.
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Police to educate people on Saanjh Kendras this week
Patiala, December 3 The Saanjh Kendras provide all the services, as enshrined in the Right to Service Act, from a single window, particularly
simplifying police related services. Punjab Additional Director General of Police (community policing) SK Sharma said the aim of the awareness week was to spread awareness about the procedures adopted to make the process simpler. “We will invite school students, teachers and people from all walks of life and educate them about the working of these kendras. The kendras will reduce the burden on police stations by reducing their paper work,” Sharma said. There are 119 Saanjh Kendras operating in the state. The services the kendras provide, include verification of tenants, servants, passports and vehicles; payment of traffic challans; police clearance certificate; character verification for service; information on impounded vehicles; permission for political/sports/religious functions; NOC for armed licences; permission for use of public address systems etc. The Saanjh Kendras will also provide a copy of an online FIR to people upon request.
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Asha workers boycott survey on cancer
Ropar, December 3 Each Asha worker will be paid a mere Rs 200 for the work which require at least 15 man days, said workers union leader Ranjit Kaur. Refuting these allegations, Ropar Civil Surgeon Rajnish Sood said no extra remuneration was being paid to any of the worker involved in the survey.
— TNS
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Transport Nagar in state of neglect
Mandi Gobindgarh, December 3 The municipal council had auctioned various commercial sites including booths, showrooms in the nagar but failed to provide basic infrastructure. The nagar has a parking space for 750 trucks but only one out of several hundred transport companies operating from Mandi Gobindgarh has shifted to the area. Now, hundreds of vehicles are parked on the national highway leading to traffic congestion.
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Suspected
Honour Killing
Doda (Muktsar), December 3
setting New record