Date:13.10.2014

‘TANUVASmineralmixture’popularisedVeterinary College and Research Institute, Tirunelveli, and NationalBank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) jointlyorganisedaspecialcampatSokkaattaanThoppunearhereonFridaytopopularise‘TANUVASmineralmixture’amongthedairyfarmers.Dean, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Tirunelveli, S.Prathaban,whopresidedover the function,distributed theTANUVASmineral mixture to 50 beneficiaries under the NABARD-fundedscheme.HehighlightedtheobjectiveofestablishmentofVeterinaryCollegeandResearch Institute at Tirunelveli and appealed to the farmers to fullyutilizetheservicesofthescientistsofthecollege.Assistant General Manager, NABARD, Tirunelveli, K. Ramalingam,released the pamphlet on the ‘Importance of TANUVAS mineralmixtureindairycattlerearing.’Professor and Head, Instructional Livestock Farm Complex, VC andRI, V. Thanaseelaan, Professor and Head, Department of AnimalNutrition, M. Chellapandian, Professor and Head, Department ofVeterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension Education, C.Manivannan stressed the need for employing proven scientificmethodsinincreasingdairyproducts.Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor, Department ofVeterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension Education, VC and RI,Tirunelveli,S.Senthilkumarandothersparticipated.

PaneltoprobeintoallegationsAthree-membercommitteewillbesetuptoprobeintotheallegationsof adulteration in gypsum fertilizer, seeds and distribution ofsubstandardagricultureequipmentbytheAgricultureDepartment,zillapanchayatpresidentUmeshKolkurhassaid.Hesaidactionwouldbetakenagainsterringofficials,iftheallegationswerefoundtobetrue.Mr. Kolkur made this announcement at the zilla panchayat’s 11thgeneral body meeting here on Thursday, after some memberscomplainedthatthedepartmentwassupplyingadulteratedmaterialstothefarmers.Soumya Kallur, a member, alleged that gypsum fertilizer was mixedwithlimestonepower.Thebagsdidnotbeartheofficialseal,shesaid.Shedemandedadetailed inquiry into thematter.Thecommitteehasbeenaskedtosubmitthereportwithinafortnight.Meanwhile, the zilla panchayat passed a resolution to suspend theassistant director of Horticulture Department of Muddebihal taluk forfailingtodistributebenefitstobeneficiaries.

Farmers should get proper prices for theirproduce:SorakeUrban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake said on Saturdaythat it was essential that farmers got proper remuneration for theagricultural and horticultural crops grown by them. Hewas speakingafter inaugurating the two-day Krishi Mela organised by the ZonalAgriculturalandHorticulturalResearchStationandotherorganisationshere.Mr.SorakesaidthatlastyearthegovernmenthadprovidedasupportpriceofRs.1,600perquintalofpaddy.Thissupportpricehadhelpedmanyfarmers.

TheStategovernmenthadsetupaFarmPriceCommissionthisyear.Theaimherewas toprovideproper support price for theproduceofthe farmers. The government had provided Rs. 83 crore for thearecanutgrowerswhoseplantationshadsuffered from fruit rot in theState.EncouragementSomefarmerswerelosingconfidenceinagriculture.Itwasnecessarytoprovideproperencouragementtothemsothattheycontinuedin it.ThoughthefoundationstonefortheBrahmavarSugarFactoryandtheVarahiIrrigationProjectwaslaidatthesametimein1980,theformermaterialised,whilethelatterisstillunderconstruction.The factory, which began functioning in 1985, stopped crushingsugarcanein2004,amidmountinglosses.TheStategovernmentwasgivingpriority toexpediting theVarahi IrrigationProject,hesaid.Theconstructionof theLeftBankCanalofVarahi IrrigationProjectwouldbecompletedbytheendoftheyear.This would provide irrigation facilities to large tracts of agriculturallands, Mr. Sorake said. K.M. Udupa, a progressive farmer andExecutive Trustee of Bharatiya Vikas Trust, expressed concern overfarmerschoosingcashcropsoverpaddy,thechiefagriculturalcropinthedistrict.Some farmers were leaving their fertile agricultural lands fallow.Instead they should lease their lands to small farmers or docooperativefarming.Thegovernmentshouldre-startthesystemofGramSevaks,whocaninform the farmersabout the latestagricultural equipmentsandotherfarminformationtothefarmers,hesaid.

QualityofVellayani lakewaterplummetsStudyblamespollutionfromurban,farmsources

Pollution from urban and agricultural sources, coupled with poormanagement and protection measures, has contributed to a steadydeterioration in the water quality of the Vellayani lake inThiruvananthapuram, a study conducted by the National Centre forEarthScienceStudies(NCESS)hasrevealed.The study published in the latest issue of the Journal of AppliedGeochemistry evaluated the difference in chemical composition ofnutrients like nitrates and phosphates and metals like iron in thesurface, bottom, and interstitial (trapped in the pore spaces ofsediments) waters of the Sasthamcotta and Vellayani lakes, twoperennial sources supporting the freshwater requirements of KollamandThiruvananthapuramcities.The authors, Sheikha E. John, K. Maya, M.K. Vishnu Sagar and D.Padmalal, note that the Vellayani lake is undergoing a steadydeterioration in water quality, compared to Sasthamcotta. The reportobserves that human intervention and pollution from urban andagricultural sources are well registered in the Vellayani lake. Thenitrate content was found to be higher in the surface, bottom, andinterstitialwatersofthelake.

Fertilizer-intensive farming in the adjoining paddy fields and theexponential rise in the quantity of N-P-K fertilizer use inThiruvananthapuramdistrictfrom1961to2010arecitedasreasons.Asubstantialportionoftheunusednutrientsinthecatchmentareawouldreachthe lakethroughsurfaceandgroundwaterpathways,especiallyduringmonsoon,thepapersays.However, the concentration of phosphates and iron was marginallyhigherintheoverlyingwatersoftheSasthamcottalake.Theinterstitialsamples of the Vellayani lake again recorded higher levels ofphosphateandiron.The paper points out that the overexploitation of water from theSasthamcotta lake, a Ramsar site since 2002, is responsible for thedrying up of the peripheral areas in summer. It calls for steps tomitigatetheadverseimpactofunscientifichumaninterventionsonboththelakesystems.·StudycomparedVellayaniwithSasthamcottalake ·NitratecontentfoundtobehigherinVellayani

Karnataka to take ADB loan to implement Rs.1,377-cr. irr igationprojectWith Karnataka facing frequent droughts, the government is set toimplementaRs.1,377-croremegairrigationproject.ItwillborrowRs.918crore($150million)fromtheAsianDevelopmentBank(ADB)andtheremainingamountofRs.459crore($75million)willbetheState’sshare.The loan repayment period is 30 years and the interest is 0.75 percent. The project — Karnataka Integrated and Sustainable WaterResources Management Investment Programme — will beimplementedduring2014–2021,accordingtoofficialsoftheKarnatakaNeeravariNigamLtd(KNNL).

The two-phase project will help KNNL staff roll out river basinmanagement plans. Funding under the first phase will be used tomodernisetheGondiirrigationsystem(Shimogadistrict).Inthesecondphase,VijaynagaracanalsandtheTungabhadraLeftBankCanalwillbeimproved.The project is aimed at increasingwater use efficiency, reducing thegapbetween the actual andpotential area that canbe irrigated, andpromoting water efficient techniques and technologies. Currently,irrigated farmland (around3.09millionhectares)suckupover84percentof theState’s totalwater,butagricultureonlycontributes16percent to the State’s GDP. Agriculture remains the main source ofemployment(55percent).Atpresent,poorinfrastructureandlackofwater-savingtechnologiesincanals result in substantial waste. Major drawbacks are insufficientmaintenance and lack of water control structures, managementconstraints(lowservicequalityofoperators),andlimitedpromotionofwatersavingcropsandpractices.The ADB would provide funds in two tranches with the first amountbeing$31million.FarmincomeTheproject reportsaid thatafter improving irrigationefficiency,savedwaterwill be used to irrigate an additional 1.6 lakh hectares.Annualfarmincomesareprojectedtorisebyasmuchas50percentforsomemarginal households as a result of increased crop production, andabout1.5millionpeoplecanbenefitoverall.

Fromlandtolab,forbetteryield

JNTUKfacultymembergetspatentforyieldpredictiontest."TheDSTalsoencouragedmebyconferring the ‘YoungScientist’award.Here,at JNTUK,Vice-ChancellorTulasiRamDaswantedus to reduce thegapbetweenlabandland,whichmademethinkoftakingupresearchofbananacultivation.

Bridging the gap between the laboratory and the farm, MalothuRamesh,anAssistantProfessorofBiotechnologyatJawaharlalNehruTechnological University -Kakinada (JNTUK) has devised amechanismtocheckifaparticularbananavarietycangivebetteryield.Farmers can check the outcome by sending a tissue to thebiotechnologylaboratoryandgettheresultwithin24hours.“It is the result of eight-month-long continuous research, and I wasawarded patent right by the patent office in Chennai recently,” Mr.Ramesh,alsotheheadoftheBiotechnologydepartmentsaid.Bornina farm labourer family atChilukodu inDornakalmandal ofWarangaldistrict,Mr.RameshdidB.TechinChemicalEngineeringfromJNTUK.Later, hedidM.Tech inBiotechnologyunder the sponsorshipof theDepartment of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi.Subsequently,heobtainedaPh.DfromJNTUKandhasbeenworkingwiththeUniversityforthelasteightyears.“The DST also encouraged me by conferring the ‘Young Scientist’award.Here,atJNTUK,Vice-ChancellorTulasiRamDaswantedustoreducethegapbetweenlabandland,whichmademethinkoftakingupresearchofbananacultivation,”recalledMr.Ramesh.Farmerswhowish to cultivate banana on black soil can reduce unnecessaryexpensesbyapplyingthenewmethod.“Generally,ittakeseightmonthsforfarmerstoknowwhethertheplantwillhavetheyield.Inthemeantime,theyhavetospendmorethanRs.50,000 per acre on cultivation. If the yield is not good enough, theentireexpensegoeswaste.Ourresearchhelpsfarmersknowtheyieldof the sapling at the plantation level itself,” said the 35-year-oldscientist,whoisnowfocusingonundertakingsimilarresearchoncitrusplants, which is expected benefit farmers from the drought-hitRayalaseemaregion.“Imust thankmywifeUshaRani, who encouragesme to undertakeresearchonfarm-relatedissues.ThesupportfromtheVice-ChancellorandstaffofJNTUKneedsspecialmention,”Mr.Rameshsaid.

BamboobringsprofittofarmersinManyprogressivefarmersinWayanaddistricttrytheirluckinbamboocultivation,withthehopeofsecuringasustainableincome.Low inputs compared to other crops; better return in a short spanoftime;norecurringexpenses;andthehugedemandforbamboopolesin themarket are themajor attractions for these farmers.Hussain ofUliayappanchalil atPadinharetharahascultivatednearly1,000plantsontenacresoflandafterclear-fellingrubbertrees.Bambooisthefastestgrowingplantandthereisnorecurringexpenseforirrigation,fertilization,andpesticides,Mr.Hussainsays.HarvestingcanstartfromthefifthyearandanaverageincomeofRs.1lakhcanbeexpectedfromanacreayear,foraperiodof30years,headds.Hehascultivatedthreevarietiesofthornlessbambooonhislandafterconsulting the scientists of the Kerala Forest Research Institute,Peechi.Dearth of skilled labourers for tapping rubber and uncertaintiesprevailinginthesectorpromptedhimtoswitchtobamboo.Doubtsoverqualityofanti-rabiesvaccineFarmerssaycowsdieddespitebeinggiventheshotsFarmersdoubtthequalityofanti-rabiesvaccineadministeredoncattle,claiming the medicine has been found futile in making any effect insavingtheanimalswhenmauledbyrabiddogsandfox.They anchor their doubts over the recent incident when cows dieddespitebeinggiventhreeorfourshotsofanti-rabiesvaccine.“Wewouldhavebeencompelledtobelievethatthevaccineiseffectiveifatleastonecowwassavedfromdeath.Here,nofewerthanany30cowsinthreepanchayatsperishedduetorabies,”P.Hassan,adairyfarmerfromKottoorpanchayatsaid.

Severalotherdairyfarmersfromtheregion,too,saytimehascometoconduct a quality test on vaccines supplied through the veterinarydepartment.T.K.Sreedharan,presidentofKottoorgramapanchayats,where eight cows died recently, says they have already placed thefarmers’concernsbeforealltheresponsiblegovernmentbodies.“Evenafter themedicinewas found futile, thedepartment isadministering itonlivestock,”hesays.Thelossoffaithinthemedicinehasledthefarmerstokilltheanimalswithout waiting for any other remedial measures, say the panchayatauthorities. “Several cowswerekilledby the farmers themselvesandsome others were administered high-dose pain killers to ensurepainlessdeath,”theysay.SeriousneglectP.Unnikrishnan,asocialactivist fromtheregion,says theVeterinaryDepartmentofficialsareshowingseriousneglecton the issuewithoutundertakinganyqualitychecktosupportthefarmersinthesector.“Whenwecontactthemfordiscussingtheissue,theycomeupwithaveryruderesponse,”hesays.Mr.Unnikrishanalsopointsoutthatthelocalpeopleareworriedoftheefficiencyofthemedicineadministeredonthepatientswhoarebittenbytherabiddogs.“IntheBalusserygovernmenthospitalalone,around350dosesofanti-rabies vaccine were administered on patients since the beginning ofthisyear,butfortunatelynoneofthemwerefoundaffectedbyrabies,”hesays.But an official from the Veterinary Department says the departmenthasbeenadministeringonlytheprescribedanti-rabiesmedicinewhichwas supplied by the government after going through all therecommendedqualityparameters.Healsorefusedtocommentonthequalityofvaccinesadministeredsofaroncattlemauledbyrabiddogs.·Farmerspreferki l l ingtherabies-affectedanimal ·Theyseekaqualitytestonthevaccines

Farmers cult ivating donated land seekownershiprightsActivists of the Karnataka Bhoo-Vidyadhana Shala Jaminu GeniRaithara Horata Samiti, an association of peasants engaged in thecultivation of land donated for government schools, staged a protesthereonSaturdaydemandingthegovernmentgrantownershiprights.Addressingtheprotestmeet,KallurMegharaj,presidentof thesamiti,saidthatmorethan10,000acresof landwasdonatedtogovernmentschoolsduringBhoo-VidadhanamovementinitiatedbythelateKengalHanumantaiahin1952.Thepeasantscultivatingsuchlandssincethenwerepayingannualrenttothegovernment,hesaid.TheKarnatakaLandReformsAct,1974hadcalled forabolitionofallformsof tenancy.Thoughthepeasantsengaged incultivationof landdonated for schoolsweredemandingownership rights over the land,thegovernmenthadnottakenproperactioninthisregard.Theofficialsof the Department of Public Instruction were trying to evict thepeasantsforabsurdreasons.ThedelayinconferringlandownershiprightsamountedtoviolationofhumanrightsanditwasagainstthespiritofKarnatakaLandReformsAct,hesaid.Meanwhile, when the protesters tried to block the road, the policearrested them and released after a while. Later, the protesterssubmitted a memorandum to C.J. Hunagund, member of theKarnatakaStateHumanRightsCommission.Mr.Hunagundtold theprotesters thathewould talk toseniorofficialsof the departments of Revenue and Public Instruction and try toresolvetheissueattheearliest.MembersofthesamitiN.Manjuladevi,Suvarna Nagaraj, E. Erappa and P.D. Manjappa took part in theprotest.

TurbidwatersWith this year’smoodymonsoonNorth India’s cupofwoe, as far assafedrinkingwaterisconcerned,seemsreadytooverflow

Handpumpwaterisoftenahealthhazard.PHOTO:S.HARPALSINGH

BelatedmonsoonactivityinNorthernIndiarelievedpeopleslightlyfromtheswelteringweather.KedarnathagainstaredatthedisastrousJuneof2013asweathermenwarnedpeople to remainalertagainstheavydownpour.SimilarwarningswerereleasedforHimachalaswell.Ontheotherhand,droughtlikeconditionsprevailedalloverthenation,includingU.P.Besides,Punjab,knownas the foodbowlof IndiaandfamousforitsfinequalitygoldenwheatandBasmatirice,reeledundersimilar conditions.Known for the five rivers (punj aab), Punjab nowfacesscarcityofcleandrinkingandirrigationwater.TodaymorethanathousandvillagesofPunjabgetdrinkingwateronlyfrom the hand pumps installed by the government. But inadequatemonsoonoverthelastfewyearsinadditiontooverdrawingofgroundwater forpaddy irrigationhas resulted inalarmingly lowwater levels.Thesituationisfurtherworsenedbythecontaminationofgroundwaterduetotheexcessiveuseofpesticideandchemicalfertilizers.

Thegroundwaterhasbeenincreasinglycontaminatedwithtoxinsandisnotfitforconsumption.Thissimplymeans‘thelandoffiverivers’isturning into another Agra or Indore. Other than Punjab, the groundwaterlevelhasrecededtoalarminglevelsinalmost12statesofIndia.This year witnessed the 12th time in the past 113 years that themonsoon was deficient as it recorded around 45 per cent lessmonsoontill themiddleof thisyear. Inflation,pricerise,hoardingandhungerarejustby-productsoftheprevailingclimaticconditions.One wonders how and why all of a sudden UNICEF has becomeinterested inAligarhdistrictofU.P.Recently theyconducted testsondrinkingwater from thehandpumps.The resultswere justhorrifying.The UNICEF report says the people of Aligarh are drinking poisoninstead.Thewaterfromalmost75percentofhandpumpsinstalledbythe government is contaminated with human faeces, Polio virus andother deadly toxins and bacteria. The report is already with thegovernment. The area belongs to the BJP leader Kalyan Singhwhoafter demolitionof theBabriMasjid,migrated toSamajwadiParty forsometimebeforereturningtotheparentparty.ForthemomentboththegovernmentsofModiandAkhileshYadavaremumonthereport.Atthesametime,DelhiNCR,especiallyNoida(inGautam Buddha Nagar, U.P.) is experiencing roaring business inunlawful tradeofbottleddrinkingwater.TheUnionMinister forWaterResources,SantoshGangwarisonrecord,replyinginwritingtoRajyaSabha Member Mohammad Adeeb, saying Noida tops the nation inclandestine bottled-water business. The Central Authority forUnderground Water and the Delhi Government have initiated actionagainstit.Delhihasshutdown26tubewellsandborewells.But therearedoubts if suchcosmeticactionswould lastorbearanyresult, because the water mafia has more than enough money topurchaseemployees,bribeofficialsandfillthecoffersofpartyfunds.Recently the UNICEF conducted tests on drinking waterfrom thehandpumps.The reportsays thepeopleofAligarharedrinkingpoisoninstead

Experts in oceanography interact withf ishermenA teamfromtheM.S.SwaminathanResearchFoundation interactedwithfishermenatSambathottamnearhereonSaturdayexplainingtheassistancebeingextendedtothembythefoundation.Theprojectco-ordinatorofMSSRFVelvizhisaid thatwith thehelpofIndianNationalCentreforOceanInformationServicesfishermenwereinformed about the speed of the wind, height of waves, possibleformation of cyclone and other scientific ocean observations throughSMS.Itwasalsoprovidinginformationfor locatingpotentialzoneintheseafor a big catch. Fishermen were given handset to exchangecommunicationincaseofanemergency.Tata consultancy has come forward to extend a helping hand tofishermenwhodevelopedasoftware,knownas‘MeenavaNanban,’ahandset, to be used while venturing into the sea to know climaticchange,presenceofcoralreefs,brokenpartsofships,shesaid.Fishermencouldcontact9381442311, incaseofemergency, foranyassistance. About a dozen experts in Oceanography from AndhraPradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka interacted with thefishermen.

weather

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Chennai-INDIA

Today'sWeather

Sunny

Monday,Oct13

Max Min34o |26o

Rain:0 Sunrise:05:58Humidity:79 Sunset:05:51Wind:normal Barometer:1006

Tomorrow'sForecast

Cloudy

Tuesday,Oct14

Max Min34o |26o

ExtendedForecastforaweek WednesdayOct15

ThursdayOct16

FridayOct17

SaturdayOct18

SundayOct19

33o|26o 35o|27o 35o|27o 35o|27o 34o|27oCloudy PartlyCloudy PartlyCloudy PartlyCloudy PartlyCloudy

Arthritissettinginamongyouth

Bonefacts:nThebodygrowstheequivalentofanewskeletoneveryseven years. By the age of 30, women lose 0.5 to 1 per cent bonedensityperyear.Aftermenopause,bonelosswillincreaseto2to3percent. Women will lose a higher percentage of bone mass over alifetimethanmen.TheappropriateamountofcalciumandvitaminDapersonneedsvariesdependingonageandsex.Adultsneed1,000to1,200mgofcalciumadayand600internationalunits(IU)ofvitaminD.People with vitamin D3 deficiency absorb only half the amount ofcalciumascomparedtothosewhohaveanadequatesupply.Hyderabad:Setting in of arthritis at a younger age is becoming amajor cause for concern, said state doctors on World Arthritis Day,which was observed on October 12. The week from October 12 toOctober20isobservedasWorldBoneandJointWeek.Increasing incidencesof trauma,sports injuries,wrongexercisesandimproper diet are adversely affecting bones. Wearing down ofcartilages in persons aged between 25 and 35 years is a cause of

concern and orthopaedics feel that there is a strong need to protectbonesfromwrongfulwearandtear.DrRaghuveerReddy, a shoulder and knee specialist, said, “Traumaandsportsinjurycasesareleavingalotofyoungpeopleinjured.Andarthritis issetting in tooearly for them.Wearand tear, ifattended to,willhelpthemhealandstayfit.”The major causes of early arthritis are obesity, improper diet,remaining immobile due to longhours of sitting andwrongexerciseslike jogging on uneven surfaces or running on the treadmill on highspeeds.DrMithinAachi, joint replacementandarthroscopysurgeonatApolloHospitalsaid,“Themostcommonprobleminyoungpatientsisobesity.Amarginalincreaseinweightoverloadsthejointsuptofourtimesandleadstofasterwearandtear.Thebestway to takecareof your joints,especially yourknees, is toavoid putting on weight.” Sedentary lifestyle is another reason, saidexpertsas sucha lifestylenegates thenatural elasticityof jointsandmakesthempronetoearlyfailure.DrAkhilDadi,seniororthopaedicsurgeon,said,“Amoderateexerciseregime ismust tomaintain goodhealth of thebody’s joints. The twomajor problems of knee degeneration continue to be aging andrheumatoid arthritis; 10 per cent of the population suffers from thisproblem.The remaining are lifestyle-oriented. Simple modifications in diet,maintaining proper posture while sitting and walking and balancingyourweightwillgoalongwayinmaintaininghealthyknees.”Food rich in proteins, simple carbohydrates, fresh fruits, vegetables,lotsoffluidsandantioxidantshelptomaintaingoodbonehealth.

Apart from this, regular exercise like swimming, joggingand strengthtraining,wherethecoreabdomenmusclesarestrengthened,helpthekneesbalancethebody’sweightproperly.Jointsarehealthywhenthebody’sweightisproperlybalanced.AlternativetherapiesAlternatetherapieslikehydrotherapyandyogagiverelieftojointsandmobilise movement which has been stiffened. Hydrotherapy (water-basedexercises)helpsthosesufferingfromrheumatoidarthritis.Smalland regular movements under water give relief from pain and helpimprovemobility.Dr Aishwarya B, therapist and ayurveda practitioner, said, “Simplyimmersing the body or affected parts in in lukewarm water will giverelieffrompainandmobilisethejoints.Thereissomemarkedimprovementinpainmanagementandmobilitythrough homeopathy. Dr N SrinivasRao said, “Patients are told thatdamagealreadydone to thecartilageorbonescan’tbe rectified.Buthistreatmentcanhelppreventfurtherdamage.”

MajorlosstocropsVizianagargam:The agriculture sector received a severe setbackwiththeheavyrainsandgalesinVizianagaramdistrict.Theauthoritiesare also unable to assess the loss till the situation comes undercontrol.Thousands of acres of paddy crop is submerged in the water underThotapally,VengalarayasagarandPeddageddaprojects.All theriversare flowing with more than their capacity. Horticultural crops likepapaya, banana and vegetable cropswere totally damaged inSalur,S.kota,Kurupam,Komaradamandals.

The townsofVizianagarmandParvathipuramsubmerged in four feetdepth.LowlevelareaslikeRajivNagarColony,ThotapalemandVudaColonyarestillsubmerged.Allthepublicaresittingintheirhomesandtryingtoknowthesituationof cyclone over phones. But all the communication systems likeInternet and telephones went mum. All the towns and villagesremainedunderdarknessasthepowersupplyhasbeenstoppedasaprecautionarymeasure.The public are spending time with candles. Even the invertors hadbeen discharged due to usage for a long time. Sugarcane inthousands of acres in Jami, L.Kota, Seethanagaram, Bobbili wastotally damaged.Hoardings and telephone, electric poles weredamaged.

Foodsafetytogoonlinesoon

AspertheFoodSafetyandStandardsAct,allfoodvendors,roadsideeateries, hotels and restaurants, hostels, and all businessestablishments selling food products should avail of the food safetylicence.(Photo:DC/File)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:The new online facility for licensingand registration of food business operators across the State, will beofficially launchedonThursday, on theoccasionofWorldFoodDay.With the introduction of the facility, the Food Safety Department isplanningtobringaroundonelakhfoodbusinessoperatorsintheStateundertheFoodSafetyandStandardsAct.CommissionerofFoodSafetyT.V.Anupamasaidwiththeintroductionofthefacility,foodbusinessoperatorswouldeasilybeabletoavailofthemandatorylicenceandregistration.HealthMinisterV.S.Sivakumarwill launch the facilityata function tobe held at Kanakakunnu Palace here. “As per our rough estimate,there are around one lakh food business operators in the State, butaround60,000are in theunorganizedsector.Ouraim is tocover the40,000whichcomesintheorganizedsector,”saidtheofficial.AspertheFoodSafetyandStandardsAct,allfoodvendors,roadsideeateries, hotels and restaurants, hostels, and all businessestablishments selling food products should avail of the food safetylicence.On the occasion of World Food Day, the Commissionerate of FoodSafety is organising a seminar on ‘Healthy Delivering of Safe FoodfromFarmtoFork’.Expertsandscientistswillpresentpapersattheseminar.Expertsfromthe Agriculture University, Veterinary University, Centre for WaterResources Development and Management and National Institute ofTechnologywillpresentpapers.

Tamil Nadu govt asksCentre to continue subsidy forfertiliserplantsforUreaIn a letter to the Prime Minister, Tamil Nadu chief ministerO Panneerselvam said the closure of these plants wouldadverselyaffectthel ivelihoodofhundredsofworkersTheTamil Nadugovernment has urged the Centre to continueprovidingsubsidyfornaphtha-basedfertiliserplantstillgasconnectivityisestablishedtotheseunits.The development comes at a time whenMadras Fertilizer Ltd(MFL)andSouthern Petrochemicals Industries Corporation(Spic) have shutoperations at theirurea plantsas the Centre had decided to stopsubsidies.Both the plants have a combined capacity of onemillion tonnes perannum. Spic plant is located at Tuticorin whileMFIL has its plant atManali,nearhere.In a letter to the Prime Minister, Tamil Nadu chief minister OPanneerselvamsaidtheclosureoftheseplantswouldadverselyaffectthelivelihoodofhundredsofworkers.The chief minister said while the two plants had made necessaryinvestments for gas conversion, the non-availability of gas andassociated infrastructuremakes it difficult for them tousegasas thefeedstock.

HealsosaidtherewouldbeanannualrevenuelossofRs220croreinthe form of VAT, which is being paid by Spic and MFL. The costdifferential between gas and naphtha would be negligible if oilmarketing companies supply gas at the rate of export parity priceinstead of levying the import parity prices coupled with their margin.He further said the move to import one million tonnes of ureaadditionallythisyearwouldnotreducesubsidies.In order to overcome any shortfall, the department of fertilisers hadallottedmostlyimportedureatoTamilNaduforthisseason.On the impact of the closure these plants, industry experts said itwouldnothaveanimmediateimpactconsideringthatmostofthestateis facing drought conditions and 70 per cent of agriculture activitieswere over and kharif season was also over by September.Besides,ifthedemandgoesup,ureacouldalwaysbeimported,whichis cheaper than that from the domestic market, they said. Industrysourcessaid,whilethemaximumretailpriceforthefarmerwasaroundRs5,500pertonne,thesubsidywasaroundRs3,800pertonne.Theyadded that the cost of imported urea was $250-350 (around Rs20,000)atonne.In 2013-14, of the around Rs 2,700 crore revenues for MFL,government'ssubsidywasRs2,300crore,notedcompanyofficialsofthe urea units. Earlier, the government had issued a direction toconverttheexistingfacilitytogasfromnaphthabeforeJune30,2014,failing which the subsidy may be withdrawn. The deadline wasextendeduptoSeptember30,2014

Foodsecurity:IndiatoughensstandatWTONewDelhi,October12:India has decided to strike a harder bargain on food security at theWorld Trade Organisation than it did in July. It wants restrictiveconditionsattachedtotheuseofthepeaceclausedropped.New Delhi, which had wanted the ‘peace clause’ offering protectionagainst retaliatory action for breaching farm subsidy caps extendedindefinitely in return for support to the trade facilitation pact, is nowseekingmore.“Wewantthepeaceclausetobewordedinawaythatwecanactuallyuseit,”aGovernmentofficialtoldBusinessLine.Initspresentform,thepeaceclauserequiresmandatorysubmissionofvarious documents related to a country’s procurement programmebefore it can be used. Not only the Centre, but States too have tosubmit data for five years giving details on the food securityprogramme and all related numbers. “This may be impossible toprovide,asmanyStatesdonotmaintainallthisdata,”theofficialsaid.Information has to to be supplied on agencies running theprogrammes,cropscovered,provisions relating topurchaseofstock,determinationofadministeredprice,accumulationofstock,releaseofstock, determination of release prices, and the eligibility to receiveprocuredstocks.

Moreover, thepeaceclausenotes thatprotectionagainst legalactionfor breaching subsidy limits will be given only if the stocks procuredunder such programmes do not distort trade or adversely affect thefoodsecurityofothermembers.“IfadevelopingcountryhastoprovetotheWTOthattheprocurementsubsidies are non-trade distorting, then why do we need the peaceclause at all?Wemight aswell fight cases at theWTO,” the officialadded.InJuly,Indiahadblockedanagreementontradefacilitation—apactto smoothen flow of goods across by upgrading the Customsinfrastructure—asitwanteditsconcernsonfoodsecurityaddressedfirst. It was decided at the Bali Ministerial meet of the WTO lastDecemberthataprotocolontradefacilitationwouldbesignedbyJuly312014.Countries such as the US and Australia have now accused India ofbreachingthetrust.ButNewDelhi is unwilling to relent andwantsanamendment to theAgriculture Agreement of the WTO so that price support for publicprocurement and food aid in developing countries— to benefit low-incomefarmersorthosewholackresources—isconsidereda‘GreenBox’, or non-trade distorting, item and allowed without limits.Alternatively, it wants a change in the reference price year forcalculatingthesubsidies.At theBaliWTOMinisterial, Indiawas offered the `peace clause’ sothatnoactionistakenagainstitssubsidiestillasolutiontoitsproblemofsubsidycalculationisfound.However,NewDelhilaterrealisedthatthe offer was only for four years, till the next Ministerial meeting in2017.

“Although the US has now approached us in Geneva (WTOheadquarters)totellusthattheyarewillingtoextendthepeaceclauseindefinitely,ourAmbassadortotheWTOhastoldthemthatwearenotreadytoacceptthatyet,”theofficialsaid.India was offered the peace clause by which no actionwould be taken against i ts subsidies t i l l a solution to i tsproblemofsubsidycalculationwasfound.

Callforpolicyshift inagriculturesectorKochi,October12:Ramesh Chand, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Education),ICAR, has emphasised the need for shifting the focus of agriculturepolicyfrompricetodevelopment.Delivering thekeynoteaddressataseminaron ‘AgricultureMarket –Setting New Development Agenda,’ he said the gap between farmharvest prices and those paid by end-users has been widening,benefittingmiddlemenratherthanfarmers.Thishasbeenanimportantreasonfortheslowgrowthorstagnationinfarmincome.Hepointedoutthatthetimehascometolookatagriculturedifferently,considering the changes in agri-food demand and production.However,agriculturalmarketsarenotdevelopingandmovingforwardto keep pace with the changes in demand, production andcommercialisationofactivities.“Weshouldnotmerely takeproducefromproducerstoend-usersbutshould promote the welfare of producers and consumers. Today,agriculture has become a highly commercial activity requiringreasonable price realisation for producers to sustain themselves,” hesaid.

Hesaidimportantfactorsaffectingthemarketincludedchangesinthemarketing trends, the role of the Centre and State governments infixing theminimum support price, and opportunities in agri-market inthechangedeconomicscenario.The seminar was jointly organised by the Federation of IndianChambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and Centre for PublicPolicy Research (CPPR) supported by National Bank for AgricultureandRuralDevelopment(Nabard).NRamesh,GeneralManager,Nabard,pointedout that theCentre isimplementing various schemes through Nabard to encourageentrepreneurshipsinagriculture.The session also highlightedmodern concepts in agriculture and thesuccessstoriesofentrepreneursandcorporateswhohaveexcelledinagriculture sector. It also analysed the challenges ahead tomotivatemore people to venture into agriculture as an alternative source ofinvestment.

Single law, exit policy can boost MSMEgrowth:CII-KPMGCII-KPMGstudysuggestszerotaxforthefirstfiveyearsNewDelhi,October12:A single comprehensive MSME law, including labour law, FactoriesAct, LandAcquisitionAct, 25 per cent land allocation in all industrialcorridors,andanexitpolicy(onthelinesofChapter11intheUS)areamong the initiatives suggestedby the industry to create ‘newwave’Indianmedium,smallandmicroenterprises(MSMEs).“There is an opportunity to consider a gradual transition plan forMSMEs over the next decade to be in line with global MSME indevelopingnations,” saysa report byCII-KPMG released in the two-dayCIIGlobalMSMESummithere.

ActionagendaOutliningan‘actionagenda’fortheGovernmenttoreachthegoalsofMakeinIndia,SkillingIndiaandDigitalIndia,thereportalsosuggesteda technology upgradation fund for the plastic processing sector andseparate consideration for agriculture and food processing business,especiallystart-ups.The sector, which sees lack of credit availability,market access anddelayed payments as key challenges, will also do well with certainfinancialincentives,saysthereport.It, therefore,suggesteddirectandindirecttaxbenefitsbywayofzerotax for the first fiveyears (microenterprises),10percentslab for10years (small enterprises) and 15 per cent tax slab for 15 years(mediumenterprises).AneffectivepolicytodealwithdelayedpaymentstoMSMEsby largecompanies on a timely basis and a national procurement policy forpublicandprivateenterprisesforspecifiedareasisalsorequired,saystheCII-KPMGreport.Thereportreiteratedalong-standingdemandbyindustry—achangeinthedefinitionofMSME.“We must appreciate that each sector has its own unique capitalrequirement and standard revenue and growth rates. “Hence, intoday’s complex business environment, turnover and number ofemployeesare becomingmore relevantmatrices for considerationofcoverage,”itsaid.

Nabard launches dairy development project inMaduraiMADURAI,OCTOBER12:The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard)launched the ‘Integrated Dairy Development Project in SindhupattiWatershed under its Umbrella Programme on Natural resourcesManagement(UPNRM)inMaduraiDistrict,recently.UPNRM is a special window operated byNabardwithmicro financeand grant components aimed at giving fillip to eco-friendly incomegenerationactivities,especiallyinNabard’sWatershedprojectareas.R Amalorpavanathan, Deputy Managing Director, Nabard, launchingthe programme at Udayanpatti village in Chellampatti Block in thedistrict, said that in a scenario where monsoon is playing truant,farmers need to look tomultiple sources of incomewith a basket ofdiversifiedactivities.Heexhortedthefarmerstoscaleupto thenext levelwith thehelpofintegrated dairy-related activities envisaged under one umbrella andbestowattentionon thepreciouswaterbodieswithoutwaiting for thegovernmentmachinerytotakeupconservationworks.Healsoreferredtosomeoftheprojectsalreadyunderimplementationin Madurai under UPNRM such as Sustainable livelihood for Broomstick makers in Kallikudi block, improving the livelihood of ThatchmakersinSekkipattiandEcofriendlyagricultureinSirumalaiHills.The integrated dairy development project will be implemented in 7Watershed villages covering 156 beneficiaries through a ProjectFacilitating Agency, Association for Rural Development, Madurai,throughwhomNabardshallfinance�82lakh.