Experts for new crop rotations
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 30
The Research Evaluation Committee of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has recommended two crop rotations in place of wheat and paddy. A meeting of the committee was held under the chairmanship of Dr G.S. Nanda, Director of Research, here today. It was stated that the two rotations should maize-potato-onion and groundnut-potato-bajra fodder. Dr G.S. Nanda said in the first rotation, farmers should sow maize (Paras) in mid-June, potato (Kufri Chandermukhi) in the first week of October and onion (Punjab Naroya) from January 10 to 15 for getting higher yield. In the second rotation, farmers should sow groundnut (M 522) in the first week of May, potato in the first week of October and Bajra fodder in the first fortnight of March.

He said apart from giving high productivity than rice-wheat system, these rotations would result in substantial saving of water. The recommendation follows research by Dr M.S. Gill, senior agronomist, and Dr A.L. Bhandari.

EDUCATION

University creates revolving fund
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, September 30
The Board of Management of Punjab Agricultural University today launched a revolving fund for providing various services to the farmers of the state. The decision to create the fund and setup farmer’s services was taken by the BoM at a meeting held with Dr K.S. Aulakh, Vice-Chancellor of the university.

According to Dr Aulakh, the university will set up clinical and diagnostic services in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Under this programme, the university will provide services at nominal charges for the healthcare of the cattle.

The university will provide mineral mixture to the farmers at nominal price as at present they do not get the genuine mineral mixture and Rs 1 lakh was provided for this purpose. The mineral mixture would be sold to the farmers at no-profit no-loss basis. The university would also provide services for soil, water, plant and other biological material testing services in the Department of Soils and Rs 50,000 were provided as seed money for this purpose.

The board requested the Punjab Government to provide additional sum of Rs 10 crore annually to meet the cost of the DA and the LTC.

The meeting also raised the honorarium of the registrar to Rs 1,000 per month and brought the parity with the Deans and Directors of the university.

The board also decided that those teachers who go for higher studies and sign agreement with the university, will have to give a bank guarantee by a scheduled bank or fidelity bond of any insurance company. The meeting further decided that all appointments on compassionate grounds would be made through test.

The Central Government has returned the land and building of the biological lab to the university. The building was constructed on a piece of three acres of university land and the lab was meant to organise research on tick-borne diseases of crossbred cows. It is learnt that this project was later shifted to UP.

The poor financial position of the PAU also came up for discussion at the meeting and the state government was urged to release Rs 21.80 crore which was an outstanding amount as arrears of pay and CPF of the teachers and non-teaching staff of the university. The payment was due three years ago.

PCCTU to intensify agitation
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, September 30
At a meeting of the state executive committee of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU), chaired by Prof S.S. Hundal, president, PCCTU, it was decided to intensify the agitation to press for their demands. After completing the first phase of agitation on September, 25, the union decided begin the next phase.

The PCCTU decided to cease teaching work after one or two periods on a specific day and joining the march and dharna at Jalandhar on October 17, at Patiala on October 31 and at Ludhiana on November 19.

The rally at Ludhiana would be held in front of the residence of Mr Harnam Dass Johar, Higher Education Minister, Punjab, in which teachers from all universities will also join. They will also stop teaching work for two periods and campus rallies will be held by teachers and students on November 26, December 2, 3 and 4. A state-level rally would be held in Patiala where the leaders of the PCCTU will court arrest on December 5.

Demands

Regular payment of salary to the staff of private colleges.

To restore pension gratuity scheme.

House rent allowance and rural area allowance for rural colleges. Retention of Class XII in colleges.

FROM SCHOOLS
Tiny tots perform dandia
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, September 30
Tiny tots of Small Wonders Nursery School enjoyed Navratras by playing ‘dandia’. Dressed in colourful clothes they enjoyed themselves. Colourful rangolis added to the festive look of the school. Girls in ghagra, cholis and boys clad in typical dandia dress with colourful scarves on their heads and Rajasthanis sashes on their waists looked festive.

Their rhythmic actions with sticks created an atmosphere of gaiety. The best dancers were given prizes.

Lectures: A series of lectures on mother- daughter hygiene was held here today in New Senior Secondary School. About 100 students and 50 mothers attended the seminar.

Ms Deepti Gupta, marketing executive of Proctor and Gamble company, along with her colleague, Ms Kriti, delivered lectures on puberty and mother-daughter hygiene with the help of documentary films and slides. Students of Classes VI to IX attended the lectures.

PAU student gets US Fellowship
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, September 30
Pawan Kumar Sharma will be proceeding to the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia, USA, in the mid-October as he has been granted a Fellowship. Pawan has been a research scholar at Punjab Agricultural University and has done research work in Insect Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Entomology. He has worked on molecular aspects of cotton, pests and diseases.

Impressed with his work, the University of Georgia wants to give him more exposure and have offered him the position of a visiting scientist in the College of Agriculture University of Georgia.

Darshan Singh Dean, PG studies
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, September 30
Dr Darshan Singh, Additional Director Research (Agriculture), has been appointed Dean, Postgraduate Studies, Punjab Agricultural University. The decision was approved by the board of management of the university that met at Chandigarh yesterday with Dr K.S. Aulakh, Vice-Chancellor, in the chair.

Dr Darshan Singh assumed the charge of the new assignment today.

Tasneem’s ‘Facets of Human Life’
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, September 30
‘Facets of Human Life’ is the 25th book comprising 100 essays by Prof N.S. Tasneem and is published in the 75th year of his life, which is also the 50th year of his writing career. Prof N.S. Tasneem has written about the varied patterns of human life in this book.

He deals with the serious and light sides of human existence. This weaving of various strands into the mesh of essays in natural, not obstructive. He is critical of the mindset which dodges the present and avoids the challenges and promises of the future by dwelling on the past, positive and negative. In some essays, he shows rare insight into the matter concerning life as in the ‘anatomy of Anger; ‘The Second Childhood’ and ‘a Timely Utterance’. Like all modernists, Professor Tasneem is a conscious artist. His writings are mostly autobiographical but he competently transcends the personal ‘I’. In the process, he offers his readers a glimpse of our times.

Most of his experiences are shared experiences. His quest of course is eternal as the margin of the arch of perpetual discovery ‘fades forever and forever’. 

Cassette released
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, September 30
The maiden audio album ‘Kurti Sat Rang Di’ of Kamaljot Chamkila, a daughter of the late folk singer Amar Singh Chamkila, was released by Mr Jagdev Singh Jassowal, a former MLA and Chairman of the Professor Mohan Singh Foundation, here today.

Talking to mediapersons, the 18-year-old singer said she had been inspired to take up the career after listening cassettes recorded by her father.

There are eight songs in the cassette. Seven songs were written by Jarnail Singh Jarkhar and Jaspal and one song by her father. The music is by Tejwant Kittu. The cassettes has been released by Moon Records.

Among others present at the function were Mr Baljinder Singh Sandhu, Mr Gurmukh Singh Giaspura, Mr Deepinder Singh Jarkhar, Mr Manminder Singh and Mr Jatinder Singh.