Few takers for livestock insurance in Muktsar

Few takers for livestock insurance 

Archit Watts/TNS

Muktsar, November 1
The livestock insurance scheme of the Centre has failed to catch the fancy of cattle owners in the district. The data procured from the Animal Husbandry Department revealed that not even half of the target fixed was achieved by the department.
Against the target of covering 3,500 head of milch cattle, only 1,658 were covered in the last year. The situation has further worsened this year as only 72 head of cattle have been insured in the district till date.
The cattle owners (beneficiaries) have to pay only 50 per cent of the premium. The benefit of the scheme is restricted to two milch cattle per beneficiary having market price of Rs 20,000 to 50,000. The policy covers death due to pleuropneumonia and not in case of theft or injury.
The Deputy Director, Animal Husbandry, Naresh Kumar Sachdeva, when contacted, claimed that due to some problems the implementation of the scheme was proving tough and the targets were also not being achieved.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Farmers plan to observe ‘black Diwali’

Farmers plan to observe ‘black Diwali’ 

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, November 1
A majority of the farmers in Muktsar district have decided not to celebrate Diwali this year as a mark of protest against the state as well as the central governments for their indifferent attitude towards the problems being faced by them.
The activists of the Bharti Kisan Union (Lakhowal) have already started a campaign and are approaching the others to for support.
Mahinder Singh Lakhewali, district president of the union, said, "During the festival of lights, we have decided not to light a single lamp as a mark of protest against the attitude of both the central and the state government."
Sharing the plight of farmers, he said, "First, the Centre failed to provide any compensation to the farmers of Punjab, who produced a record quantity of paddy despite the drought like situation this year. Second, the state government failed to streamline the arrangements for procurement. Taking advantage of this, the rice mill owners fleeced the farmers after purchasing the paddy below the minimum support price (MSP), which caused huge losses to the farmers."
Similarly, Surinder Singh, a farmer of Lundewala village in Gidderbaha sub-division, said, "Diwali brings good cheer for everyone, but we are still unhappy as our produce is lying in the mandis. The government has failed to help the farmers. If the situation prevails for another week, the farmers of Muktsar, who are already staging protests, will have no other option but to intensify their stir."
It may be mentioned here that the farmers of Muktsar district have already blocked the roads nearly 20 times in the last one month demanding the streamlining of the procurement process.
Meanwhile, the agriculture department here today issued an advisory for the farmers to adopt eco-friendly agricultural practices like paddy straw management, which can prove to be a boon for the beleaguered peasantry.
Chief Agriculture Officer, Muktsar, Beant Singh, stated in the advisory that the farmers can supplement their income by adopting new eco-friendly techniques for the paddy straw management by either ploughing the paddy straw deep in the field or making bales of straw with the help of the baler machine.
"These straw bales give immense benefit to the farmers as they are in high demand by the biomass-based power plants established to produce additional power in the state. The utilisation of the waste agricultural product also contributes to making a clean and green environment," added Beant Singh.
He further said the burning of straw produces an adverse impact on the fertility of the soil For the baling of the paddy straw, there are three machines which work one after the other. First, small pieces of straw are made in the field reaper. Then, the tractor operated rack machine collects the straw and finally, the tractor operated straw baler machine makes bales of straw.
The yield of bales per acre is approximately 20 quintals. These are purchased by biomass-based power plants at the rate of Rs 110 per quintal. Paddy straw baler can make bales of 15-20 acres of straw daily.
Huge amount of carbon is found in the paddy straw and when the farmers burn it, the carbon contained in the paddy straw mainly gets released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
The percentage of carbon dioxide emitted of the total carbon in the rice straw is in the range of 57-81 per cent, followed by carbon mono-oxide, i.e. 5-9 per cent. Carbon dioxide causes global warming while carbon monooxide is a poisonous gas. Smoke emitted during straw burning also contains methane, nitrous oxide and some other hazardous gases. Many a time, it can be the reason behind road and fire accidents. 

Courtesy: The Tribune

Food Safety Act not on Muktsar traders’ menu

Food Safety Act not on Muktsar traders’ menu 

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Fact file

Not more than 92 licences have so far been issued to the traders dealing in food items across the Muktsar district. All shopkeepers, rehriwalas, vendors, milkmen and owners of business establishments with an annual turnover below `12 lakh have to get registered under the Act before February 5, 2013, after paying a fee of Rs 100. Similarly, those dealing in food items and having an annual turnover above Rs 12 lakh have to get the licence. Officials dealing with the implementation of the Act said staff shortage was a major reason behind the slow implementation of the Act.

Muktsar, November 4
Lack of focus in the implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act is evident from the figures procured from the district health office here as not more than 92 licences have so far been issued to the traders dealing in food items across the district. Besides, only 653 registrations have taken place so far.
As per the information, all shopkeepers, rehriwalas, vendors, milkmen and owners of business establishments with an annual turnover below Rs 12 lakh have to get registered under the Act before February 5, 2013, after paying a fee of Rs 100.
Similarly, those dealing in food items and having an annual turnover above Rs 12 lakh have to get the licence.
Earlier, the date to get registered and procure the licence was fixed for August 4, 2012, but it was extended for six months up to February 2013. Still, the process of registration and issuing licences is going on at a snail's pace.
District Health Officer Dr Ajay Jhanjhi said, "We have carried out a number of awareness programmes to make the traders aware about the need to register or procure licences under the Act. Earlier, the pace was slow but now the process is gaining momentum."
"We are hopeful of registering or issuing licences to all the traders under the Act by February 4, 2013. Those who fail to do so would be penalised as per the provisions of the Act," added Dr Jhanjhi.
On the other hand, officials dealing with the implementation of the Act said staff shortage was a major reason behind the slow implementation of the Act.
The Food Safety and Standards Act has replaced the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act to make food adulteration a more serious offence and the punishment more stringent.

Courtesy: The Tribune