‘Adopt self-help group to finance farmers’
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 18
A study conducted by the Agro Economic Research Centre, Punjab Agricultural University, has recommended to the state government and the Centre to adopt the self-help group strategy to provide low-cost credit to the small and marginal farmers, most of whom are largely dependent on commission agents. The strategy has already helped farmers in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal to decrease their dependence on moneylenders, who charge exorbitant rate of interest from 24 per cent to 60 per cent.

The study, “Flow of Credit to Small and Marginal Farmers in Punjab”, which was sponsored by the Union Ministry of Agriculture, has been conducted by Kamal Vatta in association with Prof Karam Singh, Director of the centre.

The study said: “There are 1,706 banking institutions, including 942 commercial banks, in the rural areas of Punjab, which have raised deposits worth Rs 12,254.28 crore, and have provided Rs 6,000 crore loans to the agriculture sector. The small and marginal farmers, who possess majority of land holdings in the state, are getting just 27.02 per cent of the total agricultural credit.” The study found that no worthwhile efforts have been made by the banking institutions for financing the self-help groups till now. The process has been rather marred with wrong selection of beneficiaries, improver monitoring and less promising purposes for which the loans are being advanced.

It notes that though there has been an increased flow of credit in the state during the past three years, but the crop loans still constituted more than two-third of the agricultural advances. Incidentally, there has been a decline in the proportion of advances made to the sectors like minor irrigation (from 2.82 per cent to 1.09 per cent); land development (from 0.47 per cent to 0.36 per cent); farm machinery (from 16.83 per cent to 11.67 per cent );dairy (from 5.37 per cent to 4.90 per cent); poultry (from 1.58 per cent to 0.87 per cent); and fisheries (from 0.13 per cent to 0.16 per cent) during the corresponding period.

It has been found that cooperative and commercial banks give preference to medium and large farmers for loans. If that trend continues, notes the study, the objective of overall rural development by eradicating the rural poverty will not be achieved. The banks would have to favour small operational holdings and agricultural holdings and agricultural labourers to achieve this national objective.

Using the primary data collected from two villages in the advanced region (Ludhiana) and traditional region (Moga), the research team observes the medium and large farmers have to spend Rs 45 per loan as transaction costs, as compared to about one per cent of the loan amount that small farmers have to pay as bribes and other non-official charges to acquire loans. Interestingly, commercial banks take 14.07 and 8.33 days on an average in advanced and traditional areas to process a loan against 2.32 and 7.65 days taken by cooperative banks, respectively. But, moneylenders and commission agents process loans within 0.73 and 1.09 days, respectively.

The study conducted by Prof H.S. Shergill, Department of Economics, Panjab University, Chandigarh, in 1998, had also found that the small and marginal farmers were mostly dependent on informal sources, despite high rate of interest. They were discriminated by cooperative and commercial banks.

Prof Karam Singh maintains that small and marginal farmers have to face various problems as compared to medium and large farmers to get credit from formal and informal sources, including high cost of credit. It has advocated that to meet the needs of the small and marginal farmers at reasonable rate of interest, the government should adopt a strategy of self-help groups. It would also cut down the transaction costs of the banks, besides providing them an alternative to moneylender. It has also recommended that the banking institutions should also be encouraged to provide adequate credit to the neglected segments of the farm community.

Agriculture officers threaten stir
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 18
The district unit of the Agriculture SC/BC Officers Welfare Federation, Punjab, has threatened to launch a statewide agitation if the state government does not concede to their long-pending demands.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the federation held at Punjab Agricultural University here today. Mr Charanjit Singh Kainth, president of the district unit, said in a note that they had urged the government from various platforms, including the media, in the past for acceptance of their demands, but in vain. They were left with no demands, but to launch an agitation.

Mr Kainth said their main demand was that the 85th amendment regarding the Janjua case should be implemented in the Agricultural Department as in the case of other departments. The federation was also demanding immediate withdrawal of the government’s order on curtailing the list of holidays, including the birth anniversary of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

The note highlighted the alleged harassment caused to Dr Ram Singh by a senior officer on caste basis. The federation urged the government and the department high-ups to take action. The other main demand was that the word ‘promotion’ be used instead of ‘placement’ in orders regarding promotion of employees. 

Right time to start beekeeping: experts
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 18
According to Punjab Agricultural University experts, it is right time to start beekeeping and colony development as the weather has started warming up now.

In a press note issued here today, they said abundant flora of Brassica (sarson, raya) and eucalyptus (safeda) was available in the region. During this period, colonies increase worker-brood rearing. Rearing of drone brood is also initiated. Ectoparasitic brood mite (tropilaelaps clareae) may infest bee colonies. When winter declines, the winter packing of the colonies should be removed and bottom board should be cleaned.

According to them, colonies should be examined only on some calm and sunny day for food stores, brood rearing and performance of the queen bee. Stimulative feeding should be provided, if necessary. Depending upon the performance of colonies, raised combs or frames with comb-formation wax sheets should be provided. The beekeepers have also been advised to dust sulphur powder (10 g per chamber) on the top bars of bee frames to prevent and control ectoparasitic mite. “The beekeepers who have already shifted their apiaries (bee colonies) to sarson or raya belt, can extract brassica honey in the end of February. The colonies henceforth may be prepared for shifting to Eucalyptus plantation,” they said.

Zee show draws good response
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, February 18
Zee TV organised a mytho fancy dress and quiz competition in Ludhiana to select candidates for the national talent search show, which is to be organised in 10 cities of India during February and March. Yesterday, an elimination round was arranged at Ramgarhia Girls College (RGC) where the participants were divided into two categories: 5-8 years and 9-14 years.

There was excitement at the college as the parents of the participants tied the little ones’ dhotis, applied make up and adjusted their bows and arrows as the participants had to dress as characters from Ramayana, Mahabharata and Jai Santoshi Maa.

The response was excellent. Nirmal Shah of Zee Telefilms said, “This show has been specially arranged to make children familiar with their mythological heroes and their exploits. The modern generation is more aware of Valentine’s Day than of their own cultural heritage. We have had a good response to this competition and quiz in four cities, Ahmedabad, Bhopal and Indore. In Ludhiana, too, participation has been enthusiastic. Swapnil Joshi (a TV personality) was the host of the show and the judges of the show were Neenu Vij and Savita Uppal of the RGC. They had a tough time shortlisting the participants as 70 children from the first category and 60 children from the second category participated.

Though the choice of characters was wide, but most of the participants chose to dress up as Shiva, Parvati, Gandhari, Rama and other popular figures. The judges screened them on the basis of their costumes, character and presentation. In the category of 5-8 years, 15 participants were selected for the finals to be held at Nehru Sidhant Kendra today.

In the 9-14 years category also 15 participants were selected and these children will be participating and working hard to be selected for the national level show.

College to organise cultural festival
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, February 18
The Punjab College of Technical Education will take out a rally on February 19 to promote its third inter-university cultural festival, ‘Sunrise Ehsaas-2002’, to be held on February 22.

About 400 students and faculty members of the college will take part in a car rally which will start from the college campus and cover all major colleges of the city and the industrial area,” said Dr K.N.S Kang, director of the college.

The festival will be inaugurated by Dr Surjit Patar, recipient of the Bharatiya Bhasha and Bharatiya Sahitya Akademi Award. The college will also release a souvenir on this occasion.

The festival will be marked by 19 cultural and literary events, including a mock press conference, a jam session and competition in storytelling, choreography, quiz, portfolio management, charades, flower arrangement, sketching, face painting, solo dance, duet song, western group dance and skits. A fashion show will also be organised.

Dr K.N.S Kang said, “ The college expects around 30 teams from Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh to participate in the festival”. 

Kids celebrate Basant
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, February 18
Children of Lovely Lotus Nursery School, BRS Nagar, celebrated Basant — the festival of kites, flowers and fragrance. Children were dressed up as lotus king, rose queen, tulip prince, and daffodil princess. Marigold, poppy, pansy, cosmos, sweet peas, cornflower, aster, cornflower, rajnigandha, daisy, were the names of other little princesses and princes.

Children also presented little kites and butterflies. Though being small, they could not fly kite themselves, they watched Basant uncle, the peon at the school flying kite, and thoroughly enjoyed it. They also danced to the song,” Aye basant dekho aya basant, chhaya re basant dekho chhaya.”

The Principal, teachers, the parents all shared the festive spirit with children.

Forum directs OIC to pay Rs 1.11 lakh
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, February 18
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed Oriental Insurance Company (OIC) to pay Rs 1,11,255.50 on account of medical claim to Mr R.K. Goel, a resident of Punjab Mata Nagar. The forum has further directed the company to pay interest at the rate of 9 per cent per annum from March 16, 2001, (date of repudiation) till actual payment, along with Rs 500 as cost of litigation to the consumer.

According to the complaint, the consumer had taken a ‘Medi-claim Policy’ from the National Insurance Company for the period from October 22, 1996, to October 21, 1997. The said policy was got renewed from time to time upto October 21, 2001 from Oriental Insurance Company. This insurance policy also covered the family members of the consumer.

The representative of the consumer, Mr S.S. Sarna, said that the complainant’s wife met with an accident on December 26, 1997. She got treatment from Dr M.L Garg, but after the treatment she used to have pain in her right leg and was taking OPD treatment. In July, 2002, the patient took OPD treatment from the DMC Hospital where she was suggested total replacement of THR after X-Ray. After that she got the operation done in November, 2000, he added.

Mr Sarna said the consumer had lodged the claim soon after getting all the bills from the hospital and a surveyor was appointed by the company for assessment. But the company repudiated the claim on March 16, 2001, mentioning that the diseases was pre-existing and of long standing, he added.

Mr Sarna said the wife of the consumer never got pain in her right leg prior to the accident. He said that even a notice was served to the company for settling the claim, but to no avail. It was demanded from the forum that the consumer was given Rs 1,11,255.50 with interest at the rate of 18 per cent per annum and to pay compensation of Rs 5,000.

The company pleaded that after lodging the claim by consumer, it was referred to Dr S.P. Aggarwal and after the receipt of the opinion of the expert, the claim was repudiated. The respondent explained that the disease of the patient was of long-standing duration. It stated that the decease was pre-existing.

The respondent clarified that the complaint was not maintainable since the claim was properly investigated and repudiated. It was admitted that the policy was taken from October 22, 1997, to October 22, 2001.

However, taking of the policy from National Insurance Company, had been denied for want of knowledge. The respondent had also denied, taking of treatment by the wife of consumer from the DMC Hospital.

The respondent explained that the operation was not on account of alleged injuries received in the accident but it was due to long-standing disease. The company stated that the claim was rightly repudiated as the complaint was liable to be dismissed.

The forum observed that the consumer had been continuously taking ‘medical claim policy’ from October 22, 1997, to October 21, 2001. The forum further observed that taking of the treatment by the wife of the complainant has also been found correct.

The forum said the patient had met with an accident on December 26, 1997, and at that time the policy issued by the National Insurance Company was there. Moreover, during the period of treatment the policy of company was there. The forum stated that the company had issued two policies even earlier to the disputed policy as such the company had to make the payment for the treatment. The forum held that the repudiation was not done on valid grounds and same was liable to be set aside.