Ludhiana, September 12
The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) is all set to receive thousands of farmers during the two-day Kisan Mela scheduled to begin tomorrow at its sprawling campus at Ludhiana. It is a major event of the university where agricultural knowledge is disseminated to farmers.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will inaugurate the mela while minister of agriculture, Uttar Pradesh, Laxmi Narayan will be the guest of honour.

According to Dr N.S. Malhi, director of extension education, PAU, this year the display of latest technology on Rabi crops will be the main stress of the mela.

The department of horticulture will display information on different aspects of orchards including the correct method of digging and filling pits for fruit plants, drip irrigation to save water, bed preparation for nursery raising, new methods of propagation of fruit plants like disease-free kinnow, ber in polythene bags etc.

The Department of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Biotechnology will hold field demonstrations of successful Kharif crops including recommended varieties of fodder crops, newly released varieties of Rice (PAU 201), Desi Cotton (PAU 626 H), Mungbean (PAU 911), Arhar (PAU 881) etc.

Exhibition of fresh and dry flowers, ornamental plants as well as live field demonstrations on Kharif trees will also be held. The entomologists of PAU will guide farmers about saving the produce by controlling insects and pests through biocontrol agents and integrated pest management and demonstrate the safe use of pesticides to avoid accidents.

Machines to be put up at the agro industrial exhibition by the Department of Farm Power and Machinery include laser leveller, rotavator, multicrop planter, zero-till drill, strip-till drill, dehusker-cum-maize thresher, vegetable seed extraction machine, Happy seeder etc.

Farmers will also be trained in use of farm yard manure and green manure in calcareous soils and on stopping paddy straw burning. The College of Home Science will display information about different ways to control environment as control of indoor pollution, use of natural dyes, water purification at the household level.

A question-answer session will also be organised on the first day of the mela where experts of various disciplines will answer queries of the farmers on the spot.

Ludhiana September 12
The department of soft skills, SCD Government College, has initiated a series of workshops on employment skills for the benefit of college students. Separate workshops were also organised for B.A / B.SC and B.Com and evening college students for upgrading their skills to make them fit for employment.

Addressing B.Com students during a workshop, Malkiat Singh, principal, said today that 95 per cent of the jobs were in the private sector and the government was no longer principal employer. The private sector, specially services sector, needs specific skills for each job for which students were to be upgraded, he said effective communication and interpersonal skills were crucial to increase employment opportunities and to compete successfully in the business environment.

Malkiat Singh further added that "Real key to the effectiveness of professionals is their ability to put their knowledge into effective practice". He said the state government was conscious about this issue and programmes were chalked out to upgrade the skills of the students.

While making the presentation, nodal officer of the PTOSS programme of the Punjab government, Ashwani Bhalla, said employers were not just interested in formal qualifications when they were recruiting somebody for a job. Employer needed specific soft skills for exercising and fulfilling various responsibilities of the job. He outlined various soft skills like problem solving, communication, numeric, information technology and ability to work in group as the core skills needed by employers. He said the soft skills development programme of the Punjab government had been chalked out to develop effective communication skills, presentation skills, interpersonal skills, leadership skills and team management skills.

He said the programme had been developed in two parts like PTOSS-skill check battery and PTOSS behavioral assessment battery which would include customer orientation, problem solving, interpersonal and stress tolerance.

While speaking on the occasion Indra Bhatia said the training programmes were meant to upgrade the skill set of youth in state for global work professionals.

Ludhiana, September 12
The Punjab Agricultural University Teacher’s Association (PAUTA) is keen on getting the Central university status for the university. As the Central government plans to create 16 more Central universities in the country, out of which one will be allotted to Punjab, the association members are trying hard to seek this status.

PAUTA president M.S.Mahal while talking to Ludhiana Tribune said the university had provided and upgraded knowledge on agriculture not only to Punjab farmers but those of neighbouring states also. “Unfortunately, the university, which played a pivotal role in ushering in the Green Revolution, is in financial crunch these days. For its past achievements and future challenges, it rightly deserves the Central university status. If given, it will further boost the Punjab agriculture”, Mahal added.

He further added that if granted it would help the university to tide over its tight financial position as sufficient funds would be generated for research and development to meet the new challenges faced by the state agriculture.

The president said the PAUTA executive had recently met MP Sharanjit Singh Dhillon and urged him to take up the matter with the Central government.

Dhillon was also apprised of the benefits to state agriculture if the university gets this status.

He suggested that adequate funds, greater autonomy and a host of other benefits associated with the Central university should definitely increase the efficiency, output and it status.

The university continues to reel under severe financial crunch even after finance minister Manpreet Badal assured full support to the university.

Badal during his budget speech had announced Rs 100-crore grant for the university, about Rs 20 crore more than it got during the previous year. To clear the backlog, university is demanding Rs 30 to 35 crore more from the state government.

However, Manpreet told Ludhiana Tribune over telephone today that the university would get Rs 100 crore as already announced in the budget. 

Ludhiana, September 12
For over a decade, he fought the might of a Punjab police officer to recover machinery and articles forcibly taken away from his factory. His faith in the law of the land was restored two years ago when a local court directed the police to release the items kept in its custody since 1995.

Today, his belief is shaken again. Over two years have passed since the court ordered the items to be released on “supardari” bond but the industrialist is running from pillar to post to know if at all the machinery and other articles are in safe custody.

It was in 1995, that the factory of Maninder Singh in Focal Point was allegedly grabbed with the connivance of a police official. He was harassed and threatened but he did not budge.

In 2007, additional sessions judge of a fast-track court directed the police to release the articles belonging to the industrialist.

However, the police claimed that the articles were not with it. After much struggle, the police reported that the articles were deposited in the “malkhana”.

When Maninder Singh went to the “malkhana”, a caretaker refused to oblige. The industrialist has now again gone to the court. In his affidavit, he claimed that the caretaker had threatened him with dire consequences instead of releasing the items.

He rued that he had taken orders from some national companies, hoping that the machinery released by the police would be put to use.