Challenges on food front

Sir,

A news report was published in this paper titled, "Azad calls upon Agri-Scientists…. (DE, Apr 24)" in which the Chief Minister asked the Agri-scientists to try newer technologies to meet the rising food shortage and increase food production. It is a matter of grave concern that food production has remained more or less stagnant in traditional parts of the country where food grain production was predominant.

The recent drought in the adjoining areas of Udhampur and Kathua districts where almost 90 percent of the crop was destroyed has put a new challenge in front of Agro-Scientists. In places where there is recurrence of drought and with stress the need of the hour is to create newer varieties of food grains which can effectively cope up with the drought conditions.

Global changes in weather due to which weather conditions are slowly but surely under going drastic changes the scientists have to create new cropping patterns which will be able to cope up with the shift in the weather conditions. In addition to that there has to be a wider and intense farmer-scientist relationship which will enable the speedy transfer of lab technologies to land. Instead of sticking to one cropping pattern the farmers will have to shift to crop rotation so that we are able to diversify the agricultural production. Farm scientists have a role which needs to be exploited fully.

Yours etc…..
Surinder Singh
R. S. Pura,
Jammu.

PM's package

Sir,

On his latest visit to the State, the Prime Minister has announced a package for the people of the State who have been directly or indirectly hit by militancy. The package focuses upon the efforts of the Government to rehabilitate the displaced people from the Valley due to militancy in 1990 back in the Valley. The Prime Minister's package has two very important indicators which take into reality the ground situation there.

First of all the tone and tenor of the speech of the PM reflected for the first time that the Govt was atleast focussed to some extent upon the rehabilitation of the displaced people back in the valley. The emphasis on the word 'all migrants' is a welcome departure and a good sign of the change. Secondly the previous emphasis that the migrants would be rehabilitated in their own villages and mohallas is not in the new package. It is yet another marked change in the understanding of the Govt. about the reality in the Valley. But even though the package seems in the right direction still there is a huge flaw in the vision of the Central Government about rehabilitation. Although the package is a step, a small step towards the larger goal of rehabilitation of the displaced people in the Valley but the step is illconceived and ill planned. The concept of group housing societies is vague and immature. The Govt. should have itself identified land and built flats or houses without the vague idea of group housing schemes. That is one part of the immature plan. Second part of the plan of rehabilitation is retention of the people who will be rehabilitated. The Government is silent on this part. The displaced people have time and again stressed upon the need to make rehabilitation a wholesome and holistic reality. Without economic, political and cultural rehabilitation these measures though conceived in good spirit will prove meaningless. Displaced people need a wholesome rehabilitaiton so that in the future they may not have to face another onslaught that they faced in 1990. We hope that the Govt will eventually heed these views.

Yours etc...
Ashok Kangan
Colonel Colony
Jammu

Exam system

Sir,

Quite recently the Chief Minister inaugurated secrecy block of State Board of School Education (DE, April 26). In this regard it is pertinent to understand and emphasise that there are possibilities always for improvement. In any field of human activity there are possibilities to advance and improve.

The same is the case with the all important educational system. It needs to be upgraded and built in such a way so that students for whom the whole system is built are not left high and dry. An examination system must to a large extent fulfill the aspirations of students, parents and teachers. This trio completes the all important system. In a transparent examination system there has to an equal emphasis on curbing the menace of copying. Copying has been a bane of the examination system. All measures should be adopted to put a complete curb and control upon copying. In essence copying is the antithesis of the educational and examination system which claims to be modern, just and transparent.

The students should be allowed to get access to see the marking pattern of their papers in a much quicker way. The Board needs to expedite the process of reevaluation process. By that time the student cannot seek admission in any collage professional or otherwise. Computerisation can help to further improve the whole process of examination system so that it caters to the needs of a fast evolving and changing society.

Yours etc...
Promod Kumar Puri
Shakti Nagar,
Jammu