The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

AGRICULTURE

Farmers can recover losses: PAU experts
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 8
The farmers who have suffered damage to the potato crop due to frost in January need not lose heart as agronomists at Punjab Agricultural University have come up with solutions.

PAU Senior Agronomist Surjit Singh has suggested a contingent crop plan. Those farmers who have ploughed up their fields and are looking for alternative crops are advised to sow sunflower. Though late in sowing, this short-duration hybrid can compensate the farmers.

This issue was also discussed at the review meeting of the District Extension specialists here on Monday. This was presided over by the Director of Extension Education, Dr. S.S.Gill.

Responding to the refrain at the meeting, Head of the Department of Agronomy, Dr. Lall Singh Brar has now informed that as contained in the Package of Practices, farmers can go in for spring fodder like maize, bajra, guinea grass and napier bajra till March 20. Summer moong can also be grown as a profitable crop in the fields either vacated or re-ploughed.

One advantage was that such fields have good quantity of farm yarn manure and other fertilizers. Therefore, crops like sunflower and other spring fodders would not require additional fertilizer applications.

Agronomist Surjit Singh has called upon the farmers to grow such crops successfully even in the sugarcane area after paddy crop till March. Agrometeorologists have advised the farmers that whenever there are high temperatures, they should give light irrigation to wheat so as to avoid “water stress” under such weather conditions. This was more important for light texture soils.

Light irrigation may continue till the end of March or early April. The reason for such application was that because of sudden rise in temperature, development of ear heads, grains etc. gets affected adversely.

Meanwhile, addressing the monthly review committee of the District Extension Specialists, Dr. Gill said every KVK (Krishi Vigyan Kender) must lay out demonstration plots to show soil tensiometers, leaf colour charts etc. and propagate at the time of field days methodology to prepare compost from paddy and also launch a campaign to discourage farmers from early sowing of paddy to save on water.

"Resource conservation and environment friendly technologies should get additional focus of attention from the district specialists and farmers must be made aware of this, as they are enabled to increase productivity and profitability," Dr Gill said.

EDUCATION

‘India got nothing from WTO negotiations
Shivani Bhakoo

Ludhiana, February 8
WTO negotiations were a sign of victory of the developed nations. Developing countries, including India, had failed to get any thing out of these negotiations. It was the weak negotiating power of the developing countries, which failed to give them desired concessions. These views were expressed by Prof P. K.Vasudeva, eminent columnist and Professor at ICFAI Business School, Chandigarh, while delivering a lecture on ‘WTO and Personality Development’ at Government College for Women (GCW) here today.

The lecture was organised by Punjab Commerce and Management Association (PCMA). Speaking on WTO and its impact on Indian business, Prof Vasudeva said that in Hong Kong, India had made some modest gains, mainly of defensive nature, in the field of agriculture.

It did so in pursuit of its perceived national interest, which was quite legitimate.

Whether India's expectations of gaining reciprocal market access for its competitive goods and services in the markets of developed countries were going to be fulfilled was yet to be seen.

He said the magnitude of the problems still remaining unresolved should not be underestimated. He advocated lobbying of developing nations to get the desired results. He said the implications of the concept of special and differential treatment (S&DT) and less than full reciprocity for developing countries had been reaffirmed in several previous documents. However, there was no agreement on how to apply them in concrete terms.

He claimed that Indian politicians were not very serious about their country’s interest.

The lecture was organised by PCMA in collaboration with Department of Commerce, GCW.

Speaking on the occasion, President of PCMA, Dr Prem Kumar, said that the association will organise more such awareness lectures in the various cities of Punjab to make the masses aware about the current and contemporary issues in commerce and management. He made an open invitation to various educational institutions to host an PCMA lecture series in which talks of eminent scholars would be organised to create a networking of people to create excellence.

Among other dignitaries who were present on the occasion include Dr Vijay Asdhir, Vice President PCMA; Prof Ashwani Bhalla, General Secretary; Prof Gurpreet Kaur, Head, Department of Commerce GCW; Prof Sukhjinder Kaur; and Prof Sarita. The lecture was presided over by Ms Prabhjot Kaur, Principal of the college.

Around 500 students from the different colleges of the city and GCW also participated. Commerce and Management teachers of different colleges also participated in the discussion.

Study circle to celebrate Holla Mohalla
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, February 8
Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle, Ludhiana zone, has decided to celebrate Holla Mohalla on March 15. This was announced at a meeting of the circle here today. Chief Secretary Dr Charan Kamal Singh said the study circle would celebrate at Baba Isher Singh Public School, Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar, Malwa Senior Secondary School, Model Gram, Urban Estate, Phase I, Durgri, Government Primary School, Narangwal and Model Town.

Mr Prabhjot Singh, additional zonal secretary, said at the function different sports activities would be organised, including races, slow cycling, long jump, hungry lion, along with musical chair and one minute games. A five-member committee had also been constituted to decide about stalls and sponsors, he added.

Mr Dilbag Singh, Mr Parwinder Singh, Mr Gurcharan Singh, Mr Tarlochan Singh, Mr Amarjit Singh Texla, Master Varinderpal Singh and Mr Jaspal Singh were among others present at the meeting.

Farewell party
Our Correspondent

Mandi Gobindgarh, February 8
Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, Mandi Gobindgarh, organised a farewell party on Tuesday for its class XII students. Various games were organised at the party. Jaswinder Tiwana and Yamini Bansal were chosen as Mr and Miss Sacred Heart 06 respectively.

The party was attended by members of management committee, principal and teachers. Mr J. P. S. Jolly, managing director of the school, urged the students to follow the path shown by the school and hoped students would bring laurels to the school in the board examination.

Annual convocation
Our Correspondent

Khanna, February 8
Two lecturers of A. S. College received their PhD degrees at 55th annual convocation of Panjab University held at the university campus. Justice Y. K. Sabharwal, Chief Justice of India, was the chief guest.

Prof Harpal Singh Bhatti received the doctorate for ‘1980 ton baad di Punjabi ghazal de sarokar ate sanchar jugtan’ and Prof Neeru Malik got her degree for ‘Fitness variables as predictors in table tennis playing ability’

During the convocation, two students of the college were also honoured with Prof Iqbal Nath Chaudhary Memorial Gold Medals for topping the university examinations in Political Science during 2003-04 and 2004-05.