AGRICULTURE

Precision farming cuts farm input costs
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana April 25
Precision farming will help reduce the input costs in agriculture and lead to better returns for the farmers.

N. S. Malhi, director of Extension Education, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, while delivering presidential remarks during the concluding session of the training programme on laser levelling here today, stated that the country was now poised for precision farming.

Laser levelling was the first step in this direction to sustain agriculture and to usher in the second green revolution. The use of laser levelling would yield enormous benefits, the most important being saving water and reduction in electricity consumption.

Emphasising the need for proper water management, Malhi said Punjab had 96 per cent of the area under assured irrigation. However, the under ground water reservoir was depleting at an alarming rate.

Laser levelling ensured not only uniform depth of water throughout the entire field but also uniform germination and growth of the crop in the field, thus, suppressing the weeds. This also saved all other farm inputs to the advantage of the farmers, he added.

PAU was planning to introduce laser leveling technology in a big way. Malhi mentioned that the Cooperative Department of the state had already purchased 50 laser levellers to undertake laser levelling on a cooperative basis.

He pointed out that western Punjab, now called Pakistan, was ahead of us in using this technology.

The training programme was essentially designed to upgrade knowledge and skills of the engineers and other extension workers all over the state so that they could address the problems of the farmers during introduction of this technology.

The programme dealt with the various water conservation technologies and in depth practical knowledge about the laser leveling technology, its installation, field preparation and operation of laser leveller in the field. The trainees were also given practical training hints on troubleshooting.

EDUCATION

From Colleges
GNIMT students bag top positions
Tribune News Service

Seema Rani of MCA bagged the third position in the university.

Ivvana students get industrial training

The Ivanna Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology today held a presentation-cum-lecture for its students to appraise them with their forthcoming industrial training.

The presentation-cum-lecture was delivered by Mahender Pal Singh, HR and training manager of Fortune Klassic Hotel, and Robinder Singh, executive chef of Hotel Chatnees, Toronto, Canada.

Earlier, the students were addressed by Raunak, an institute faculty member. They were told about the conduct of industrial training in a hospitality organisation of repute, the various departments of work, the jobs to be undertaken, etc.

Excellent results

M.Com students of the Guru Nanak Khalsa College for Women won laurels for their institution with 100 per cent results in the M.Com semester I examination.

Twenty-nine students got the first division, while 11 secured above 70 per cent marks. Bhavneet Kaur, the college topper bagged the 9th position in Panjab University and 6th position in the district by securing 78 per cent marks.

Dr Manju Chawla, principal of the college, congratulated the staff, students for their success.

Grooming session at GGNIMT

GGN Institute of Management and Technologies (GGNIMT) organised a grooming session for BCA, BBA, MBA and MCA students.

Neeraj Vij, director of ‘The Legends’, was the speaker on the day.

He emphasised on the key roles of a manager. He said a manager should be well-versed with disaster management.

He stressed the importance of having good communication skills which play a very pivotal role in a successful life. He also gave valuable tips on confidence building and public speaking.

More than 100 students attended the training session which lasted for three hours.

Advance course on beekeeping at PAU
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana April 25
A five-day “advance training course on techniques of production of queen bees and honeybee products” began at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, yesterday.

The course, organised by the Directorate of Extension Education and Entomology Department, will impart practical training on the production, storage and marketing of various honeybee products.

According to the head of Entomology, NS Bhutter, PAU has been instrumental in imparting basic and advanced training in beekeeping. The university has played a pioneer role in the introduction and establishment of Italian honeybees in the country.

“University efforts in popularising apiculture has made Punjab a leader in honey production and the country is exporting honey to other nations”, he said.

Technical coordinator Pradeep Kumar Chhuneja said the trainees will be imparted practical knowledge on the selection of stock, different ways of mass rearing of queenbees, maintaining bee banks and preparing bee packages.

They will also be trained on the use of novel queen bee rearing techniques involving the Karl-Jenter and Cup Kit systems. Besides, they will be given training on the multiplication of their stock of honeybee colonies and replacement of old/non-performing queen bees.

Welcome party at school
Our Correspondent