Ludhiana April 23
Director of Extension Education, Punjab Agricultural University, NS Malhi, has advised the farmers to stay away from drugs and alcohol, particularly during the use of thresher for harvesting wheat.

He said the consumption of alcohol and drugs while working on thresher would be an invitation to death.

Malhi suggested that farmers and labourers should take intermittent breaks while doing mechanised harvesting to prevent accidents due to fatigue. One should stay alert while using any machinery, he observed. He also advocated proper rest and sleep for machine users.

Speaking against burning of wheat straw, Malhi said it caused excessive pollution due to windy weather these days and, thus, should be avoided.

Ludhiana, April 23
The Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Science University (GADVASU) will host the XXIV Conference and National Symposium of the Indian Poultry Science Association (IPSA) from April 25 to 27. The theme of the conference is ‘Poultry production for rural employment and nutritional security.’

Dr A.L. Chaudhary, president, Veterinary Council of India, will inaugurate the conference and Dr V. K. Taneja, vice-chancellor, GADVASU, will preside over the inauguration.

Dr T.S. Johari, president of IPSA, and Dr AK Shrivastav, director of Central Avian Research Institute, Izatnagar, and the secretary of IPSA, will address the gathering.

About 300 scientists from state veterinary universities, colleges and institutes related to poultry production and health will participate. The conference will provide a platform for discussions on the technical and practical issues related to the poultry sector.

On this occasion, a farmer-industry-scientist interaction session will also be held. Around 200 poultry farmers from north India are expected to take part. Poultry exhibition on different aspects will also be arranged.

The conference will have 11 technical sessions on breeding, genetics, biotechnology, feeding strategies, economics, marketing and processing. The speakers include Dr M.S. Oberoi, FAO expert and Regional Coordinator, South Asia, Dr N.P. Kondaiah, Director National Research Centre on Meat, Hyderabad, and deans and directors of various colleges.

Dr S.S. Nagra, organising secretary of the IPSA conference, said it was being held in Punjab after a gap of 35 years. An excursion tour for the scientists to Amritsar and Wagah border will be organised on April 27.