Use underground irrigation water judiciously, farmers urged

Dr Kirpal Singh Aulakh, Director of Research advised the farmers not to adopt any crop variety nor any other technology which has not been recommended by the PAU. He disclosed that university had withdrawn wheat variety HD 2329 because it had become susceptible to rust. Its continuous cultivation is likely to spread epidemic of this disease. PUSA 44 variety of paddy is also not recommended for cultivation because of its susceptibility to bacterial leaf blight.

He advised the farmers not to purchase the seed of paddy variety PR 112 from private traders as this variety has not been found suitable for cultivation due to many defects.

On this occasion farm literature worth Rs 15,000 was sold.

Dr Jaspinder Singh Kolar, Director of Extension Education, PAU, informed the farmers that Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Patiala, had been identified as centre of excellence for imparting training in hybrid seed production. He advised the farmers to produce their own seeds after getting training and save the money on purchasing seeds at exorbitant prices.

He disclosed that facilities for providing practical training to farmers in specialised vocations like bee-keeping, poultry farming, dairy farming, mushroom growing and home science have been developed at KVK, Patiala. Farmers and farm women should make full use of these facilities by enrolling themselves in various training courses organised by KVK, Patiala.

Dr S.S. Malhi, Associate Director (Trg) KVK, Patiala, proposed vote of thanks and urged the farmers to make maximum use of training facilities provided by the KVK.

In spite of continuous downpour, thousands of farmers attended the mela. Different departments of the university and other organisations like National Fertilizer Limited, IFFCO, KRIBHCO and other private commercial organisations had put up their stalls to educate the farmers about the latest technologies. The exhibition organised by the home science wing of KVK, Patiala, on scientific home making attracted a large numbers of farm women.

This has been stated by the IHRO chairperson D.S.Gill, general secretary Mohinder Singh Grewal, administration secretary Avtar Singh Gill, coordinator Arvinder Kaur and secretary Jatinder Singh Sandhu, in a statement here today. They added that the dismissal of the Rabri Devi government in Bihar would add more trouble to the already trouble-prone Vajpayee Government.

IHRO urged that Udham Singh Nagar and its contiguous areas comprising other districts of the Terai belt like Rampur, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur Lakhimpur Kheri be made a Union Territory where minorities, including the Sikhs, could live peacefully and feel safe as they have been facing various problems during the past, especially at the hands of the Mayawati Government. The IHRO activists urged the Vajpayee Government to exclude Udham Singh Nagar from the proposed Uttaranchal Pradesh.

This, they said, would definitely promote the integrity of the BJP otherwise bracketed communal and an extreme right party by many and political groups. “The dismissal of the Bihar government will similarly boomerang and would be a betrayal of the BJP commitments made to the people during the elections,” added the activists.

They further said that the IHRO would be co-ordinating the People’s Commission’s next sitting at Ludhiana on October 23, 24 and 25 and will appreciate if the Badal government could extend the time limit of one-year for putting the cases of rights’ violations before the state human rights commission and also could take s stand in the High Court on September 25 in consonance with its election manifesto.