FLASHBACK 2012: ACHIEVEMENTS, INITIATIVES AND CELEBRATIONS MARK THE GOLDEN JUBILEE YEAR OF PAU

LUDHIANA, DECEMBER 27:



The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), in the year 2012, completed 50 years of glory and pride in the service of the farming community in addition to the splendid performance in academics, research, and technology transfer. Achievements, Initiatives, and Golden Jubilee Celebrations were the hallmark of the year 2012. The campus remained abuzz with activities concerning the celebrations of the 50 years of establishment of PAU. The campus was decked up for the VVIPs visit including President of India, Sh. Pranab Mukherjee; Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh; Union Minister of Agriculture and Food Processing Industries, Mr. Sharad Pawar; Governor of Punjab and Chancellor of the University, Sh. Shivraj V. Patil; Chief Minister of Punjab, S. Prakash Singh Badal; Deputy Chief Minster of Punjab, S. Sukhbir Singh Badal; Finance Minister of Punjab, S. Parminder Singh Dhindsa; Member of Planning Commission of Government of India, Prof. Abhijit Sen; and many others.



ACHIEVEMENTS

Due to sheer dint of hard work of the PAU Vice-Chancellor, Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon, the Punjab government increased the plan and non-plan budget of PAU from Rs 93 crore to 190 crore.

During the current year, 10 new crop varieties were released for general cultivation in the Punjab state. The varieties include: wheat (PBW 644, WHD 943, HD 2967), Kabuli chickpea (GLK 25104), sunflower (PSH 996), toria (TL 17), cotton (FDK 124) and aonla (Balwant, Neelam and Kanchan). Eleven varieties/hybrids have been identified at the national level.

The "Wheat, Rice and Vegetables" section of PAU bagged "Best All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) Centre Award" by ICAR.

To develop technologies of using brackish water for irrigating horticultural crops and for minimizing build up of salts in soil, the PAU bagged a mega project under Indo-Israel Action Plan of the National Horticultural Mission (NHM), with a budget estimate of Rs 14.96 crore.

The Department of Vegetable Science of the PAU was sanctioned a research project entitled, "Pyramiding multiple resistance genes (Ty, Ph and Mi) in high-yielding varieties of tomato through MAS" by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.



AWARDS AND HONOURS WON BY FACULTY

The Vice-Chancellor of the PAU, Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon was honoured with the coveted "Dr Harbhajan Singh Memorial Award" by the Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources (ISPGR). He was also conferred with "Punjab Rattan," a Punjab Sate Intellectuals' Honour at "All India Conference of Intellectuals" held on November 18, 2012. Education Committee of Chief Khalsa Diwan, Amritsar , honoured him during 64th All India Sikh Education Conference on November 11, 2012.

The PAU alumni namely Dr Surjit Patar, a noted Punjabi poet and Dr K.L. Chadha, former DDG (Horticulture), ICAR, were conferred with Padma Shri awards.

Another alumnus, Dr Gurdev Singh Khush, was decorated with "Krishi Shriomani Samman" during the Mahindra Samriddhi India Agri Awards 2012, for his outstanding contributions to the field of agriculture.

Dr Wasakha Singh Dhillon, Professor of Horticulture, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), joined as Director of Punjab Horticultural Post-Harvest Technology Centre (PHPTC- located on-campus). Later, he was appointed as an Assistant Director General (Horticulture-I), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, for a period of five years.

The former Head of the Department of Economics and Sociology of the PAU, Dr Karam Singh was unanimously elected as the President of The Indian Society of Agricultural Economics (ISAE) and The Agricultural Economics Research Association (AERA).

Besides, alumni and faculty members of the PAU bagged awards and honours at national and international level like ICAR Best Teacher Award, IZA-FAI Award 2012, President of India' Award, Life Time Achievement Award, Bharat Shiksha Ratan Award, Young Achiever Award, Shiksha Rattan Purskar, Fellowships of Horticultural Society of India, etc.



STUDENTS' ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The students of the PAU also bagged awards and honours at national and international level.

A PAU student, Shalini Agnihothri brought laurels to the university by bagging 285th rank in UPSC Civil Services 2011 in the first attempt.

Another PAU student, Amandeep Kaur has been awarded the prestigious Monsanto Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars Programme (MBBISP) Research Fellowship 2012 for encouraging new plant breeding research for rice and wheat production among young scientists. She is among the four young Indian agriculture scholars to win this fellowship.

Two students of the Department of Zoology attended "24th International Conference on Entomology," Daegu, Republic of South Korea in August 2012.

More than 600 students of the PAU were awarded University Merit Scholarships. Besides, the students cleared, cleared UGC/ICAR Net examination, ICAR Agricultural Research Service examination, and won Indian Council for Cultural Relations Scholarship, ICAR International Fellowship, Fullbright Nehru Doctoral and Professional Research Fellowship, etc.

More than 70 students got campus placement in nationalized and private banks, agro-machinery manufacturers and various other organizations.













INITIATIVES



The PAU took many initiatives in administration, academics, research, and transfer of technology.



Administration and Academics- To strengthen area specific research, five new Additional Directors of Research of Natural Resources and Plant Health Management; Crop Improvement; Food Science, Nutrition and Engineering; Horticulture; and Farm Mechanization and Bio-energy were appointed.

The PAU upgraded the Department of Business Administration to School of Business Studies , Department of Agricultural Meteorology to School of Climate Change and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science was merged with School of Information Technology and renamed as School of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology.

Functionalisation of Food Industry Centre was put on fast track. School of Energy Studies in Agriculture has been strengthened by redeploying Plant Breeder and Agronomist. The policy to distribute breeder and foundation seed has been streamlined. A new course on Human Values in Education was developed and initiated by the Department of Human Development. M.Tech in Remote sensing and GIS has been started in collaboration with Punjab Remote Sensing Centre. New courses have been initiated in Bioinformatics, Conservation Agriculture, Agri-business, Bio-safety, Environmental Science and Nanotechnology. Experiential Learning programmes in various disciplines were introduced in to develop entrepreneurial skills of the pass-outs.

Special courses are being planned on repair of tractors, electrical appliances, tube-well engines, computers, mobile phones, etc. with a focus on youth with small holdings. To check in-breeding, the Ph.D students will spend one semester in other reputed universities and institutes. The PAU alumni working in reputed foreign universities and institutes will be approached to become co-advisor of Ph.D students. The University decided that the research in basic sciences will strongly be linked with agriculture and that the doctoral dissertation will be a compilation of published or accepted research papers.



Research- The PAU strengthened/reorganized paddy, wheat, cotton, and maize breeding programmes and their linkages with biotechnology. In paddy, development of high-yielding, early maturing and good grain quality has been focused. Research on de-bittering of kinnow and development of blended fruit juices has been put on an active agenda. The University also developed propagation plan of "Daisy Tangerine." The PAU initiated research on evaluation of biomass of maize, sorghum, sweet sorghum, pearlmillet, Napier-bajra hybrid with twin objectives of bio-energy generation and diversification of cropping pattern in Kharif. Research on refinement and dissemination of protected cultivation of vegetables under small and large poly-net houses was initiated.

Development and dissemination of technologies focusing on small niches such as cultivation of popcorn, baby corn, groundnut, barley, turmeric, guara, etc. have been taken up. Technical units have been established in the Departments of Agronomy, Entomology and Plant Pathology to test new molecules/brands.



Transfer of Technology – Training of farmers for production of hybrid seed in maize, chillies, muskmelon, tomato and brinjal in being given a push. The University enrolled about 6000 farmers called "Kisan Doots" in each village, in various districts of Punjab , for quick dissemination of farm technologies. Concept of "nutrition gardens" has been revived to ensure nutritional security and help promote crop diversification. Special emphasis was laid on the use of information and communication technology for transferring farm technology and gathering feedback. The scientists of Farm Advisory Service Scheme (FASS) were deputed in the grain markets during rice marketing season to guide farmers for the purchase of inputs for rabi season. Thrust was also laid on motivating the farmers with small holdings to involve themselves in post-harvest processing of produce and retail marketing such as that of pulses. The Centre for Communications and International Linkages (CCIL) played a vital role in the dissemination of farm technologies through print and electronic media. More than 1100 press notes (English and Punjabi) were released and more than 250 radio/TV talks were delivered. The Centre also published various farm bulletins and literature in addition to bringing out monthly issues of "Progressive Farming" and "Changi Kheti."



MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING (MoU) AND INTERNATIONAL VISITORS

During the year, the University inked 11 memoranda of understanding with institutions/organizations in India and abroad like Pioneer Overseas Corporation, USA; University of Zambeze, Mozambique; International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), Mexico; Ohio State University, USA; Egerton University, Kenya; Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hissar; Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishwavidyalya, Palampur; Food Corporation of India; and Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan.

The CCIL coordinated the visits of the delegations from Canada, France, Netherlands, European Union, CIMMYT, Massachusetts, Israel, California, Australia, Texas, Scotland, Nigeria, USA and Kenya, visited the PAU to explore collaborative areas for partnership, have perspective of Indian agriculture, gain scientific know-how of Indian farming, and discuss about farm challenges, wheat breeding, waste water treatment, selenium contamination in Punjab soils, organizational set-up of PAU, its research and extension programmes.

Eminent scientists from different parts of the country and globe came to the PAU to deliver key talks on various aspects of agriculture.



YEAR 2012

The number of foreign students has increased rapidly over the previous years and currently, 34 students from 12 countries have been enrolled in various academic programmes of PAU. In the academics session 2012-13, 1759 students in Bachelor's, 1242 in Master's and 259 in Doctoral programmes have been registered. The percentage of girl students has increased to about 50 in undergraduate programmes and 64 in postgraduate programmes.

The former Director of Extension Education of the PAU, Dr J.S. Kolar, was given another term of three years as a Member of PAU Board of Management (BoM) whereas Sh. Kulwant Singh Ahluwalia, resident of village Chhauni Kalan, district Hoshiarpur, was appointed as a member of the BoM for a period of three years.

Several changes took place in the administrative positions of the University. Dr Neelam Grewal was appointed as Dean of College of Home Science. Sh. A. C. Rana was re-employed as Comptroller. Dr H.S. Sehgal was given the charge of Additional Director of Communication. Five new Additional Directors of Research, Director of School of Business Studies, Directors of Regional Stations of Bathinda and Abohar, and new heads of various departments were appointed.

Third year students of B.Tech (Agricultural Engineering) of the PAU attended two-week training programmes at Moscow State Agro-Engineering University (MSAU) and Moscow State University of Environmental Engineering (MSUEE), Moscow, respectively, under the exchange programme. A six-member delegation from MSUEE Moscow, attended two-week training programme on "Engineering Technologies for Crop Production and Environmental Control" at PAU in April 2012. A number of faculty members of the PAU participated in national and international attended seminars, symposia, conferences, workshops and trainings.

Fourteen Kisan Melas, two each at Ludhiana, Ballowal Saunkhri (Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar), Rauni ( Patiala ), Bathinda, Gurdaspur, Faridkot and Amritsar were organized during March and September. Farmers in lakhs attended these melas, interacted with the scientists, discussed their farm problems, visited live demonstrations, participated in produce competition and purchased farm literature and new seeds of various crop varieties. The innovative farmers, from across the Punjab state, were awarded with a total of seven awards for excellence in agriculture and horticulture.

The PAU continued to disseminate new technologies to the farmers through various technology transfer modes like Kisan Melas, trainings, exhibitions, exhibitions, front line demonstrations, field days, specialists' workshops, etc. A net-work of 12 Farm Advisory Service Scheme (FASS) and 17 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) at district level also contributed vitally in providing timely technical guidance to the farmers and equipping them with latest farm practices and innovations.



GOLDEN JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS

The PAU Golden Jubilee Celebrations kick-started on January 2, 2012 wherein former PAU Vice-Chancellors namely Dr S.S. Johl, Dr K.S Gill, Dr A.S. Khera, Dr G.S. Kalkat, and Dr K.S. Aulakh and present Vice-Chancellor Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon released seven PAU publications. On this occasion, the Chairman of Punjab State Farmers' Commission, Dr Kalkat released the Golden Jubilee Logo, conveying the message of "50 Years of Glory and Pride." All the Vice-Chancellors planted the saplings of the Buddha's Coconut tree at the backside of the administrative block (Thapar Hall). They paid glowing tributes to the late Vice-Chancellors namely Dr P.N. Thapar (the founder VC), Dr M.S.

Randhawa, Dr A.S. Cheema and Dr Sukhdev Singh.

On October 17, 2012, Golden Jubilee Foundation Day celebrations of the PAU were held wherein the Chief Guest S. Sukhbir Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, released a special postal cover on PAU .

The President of India , Sh. Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the three-day International Conference on "Sustainable Agriculture for Food and Livelihood Security," on November 27, 2012, at PAU . The Governor of Punjab and Chancellor of the University, Sh. Shivraj V. Patil was the Guest of Honour while the Chief Minister of Punjab, S. Prakash Singh Badal presided over the conference.

The international conference witnessed the presence of renowned agricultural stalwarts such as Dr R.A. Zeigler, Director General of International Rice Research Institute, Philippines; Dr Thomas Lumpkin, Director General, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), Mexico; Dr S. Ayyappan, Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR); and Dr Gurdev Singh Khush, PAU alumnus; a well-known rice breeder popularly known as "Paddy Daddy," and an Adjunct Professor, University of California, Davis, USA.

During the Golden Jubilee Convocation of PAU on December 8, 2012, the Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, and the Chief Minister of Punjab, S. Prakash Singh Badal, were conferred with the degrees of Doctor of Science (honoris causa) by the Governor of Punjab and Chancellor of the University, Sh. Shivraj V. Patil. Besides, the eminent scientists namely Dr R.S. Paroda, former Secretary of DARE and former Director General of ICAR; and Dr J.S. Kanwar, former Deputy Director General, International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics, Hyderabad, were also conferred with the D.Sc degrees.

The 7th National Conference on "Krishi Vigyan Kendra -2012" based on the theme "Integrating Technologies and Best Practices." was inaugurated by Mr. Sharad Pawar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Food Processing Industries, on November 20, 2012. A three-day conference was jointly organized by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Punjab Agricultural University .

To commemorate 50 years of glorious service of PAU and 70 years of establishment of Horticultural Society of India (HSI), 5th Indian Horticultural Congress on "Horticulture for Food and Environment Security" was organized. Dr Balram Jakhar, former Speaker of Lok Sabha, Governor of Madhya Pradesh and former Union Minister of Agriculture, inaugurated the congress on November 6, 2012. Dr M.S. Swaminathan, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and Father of Green Revolution in India , was the guest of honour.

The 77th Annual Convention of Indian Society of Soil Science (ISSS), organized by the Department of Soil Science of the PAU , was inaugurated by the Finance Minister of Punjab , S. Parminder Singh Dhindsa on December 3, 2012. Nearly 400 farm scientists from across the country and world participated in the four-day convention.

Prof. Abhijit Sen, Member, Planning Commission, Government of India, presided over the Annual Convocation of the PAU on December 17, 2012 and conferred Dr Gurcharan S. Kalkat, former Vice-Chancellor of PAU and Chairman, Punjab State Farmers' Commission, with the Degree of Doctor of Science (honoris causa). Besides, he bestowed the Certificates of Appreciation on the former Vice-Chancellors of the PAU namely Dr Khem Singh Gill, Dr Gurcharan S. Kalkat, Dr Kirpal S. Aulakh and Dr Manjit S. Kang. A total of 392 students were awarded Doctorate and Master degrees, and 11 students were awarded medals. The students were also awarded merit certificates. The members of the faculty of the PAU were awarded cash awards, plaques and various prizes.

The first Alumni Meet of the PAU and the 50th Meet of College of Agriculture's Alumni Association was held on December 20-21, 2012. On this occasion, Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon, Vice-Chancellor of the PAU, unveiled the Golden Jubilee Monument in the University. A 19- member Pakistan delegation came to attend the two-day alumni meet at PAU. Malik Ahmad A. Aulakh, Minister of Agriculture, Punjab (Pakistan); was the Chief Guest, and was accompanied by Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Vice-Chancellor, University of Agriculture (UAF), Faisalabad; and Dr H.A. Qayyum, oldest alumnus from UAF, Pakistan. Many alumni members were honoured on this occasion.

A two-day national seminar on "Women and Rural Development: Critical Issues"

was inaugurated by S. Surjit Singh Rakhra, Rural Development and Panchayats Minister, Punjab , on May 2, 2012.

During the Golden Jubilee Kisan Mela on March 20, 2012, S. Tota Singh, former Minister of Agriculture, Punjab , honoured four progressive framers with "Chief Minister Awards."

S. Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Minister of Punjab Public Works Department (PWD), inaugurated two-day Kisan Mela at PAU on September 21, 2012. The mela was based on the theme "Pawan Guru Pani Pita, Mata Dharat Mahatt."

S. Balwinder S. Bhunder, Member Parliament, inaugurated the Kisan Mela at PAU 's Regional Research Station, Bathinda, on September 27, 2012.

The Convocation and Prize Distribution function of the College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology took place on January 27, 2012. Dr B.C. Gupta, former Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, was the chief guest.

The Convocation of the College of Agriculture was held on March 1, 2012. Mr P.K. Basu, Secretary (Agriculture and Cooperation), Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, New Delhi, was the chief guest. "Dr M.S. Randhawa Golden Jubilee Flower Show and Competition," held on March 1 and 2, 2012, was inaugurated by Mrs Monmayee Basu, wife of Mr P.K. Basu.

Mr. S.C. Agrawal, Ex-Chief Secretary, Punjab, chaired the technical session on "Innovative Technologies for Sustainable Agriculture" at two-day "Farmer-Scientist Interface Conference," organized at PAU on February 28 and 29, 2012. Mr N.S. Kang, Financial Commissioner (Revenue), Punjab, and Mr G.S. Sandhu, Financial Commissioner, (Development), Punjab, co-chaired the session.

Dr M.S. Randhawa Library organized a "Golden Jubilee Book Fair" organized on February 8, 2012, was inaugurated by renowned Punjabi poet and former Professor of Punjabi at PAU, Dr Surjit Patar.

The Directorate of Student's Welfare organized a "PAU Golden Jubilee Literary and Fine Arts Competitions (April 16 to 19)," "PAU Golden Jubilee Inter-College Youth Festival (October 19-25)," and "Golden Jubilee Folk Festival (October 30)," in which PAU and its sister Universities including Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hissar (Haryana), Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishwavidyalya, Palampur (Himachal Pradesh), Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), Ludhiana, participated.

Apart from this, other events included:- Science Meet of "Indo- Australian Programme on Marker Assisted Wheat Breeding (IAP-MAWB- February 2 and 3), " seminar on "Agricultural Economy of Punjab: Science-Policy Interface (February 18), "Research and Extension Specialists' Workshop for Kharif Crops (February 23 and 24), "Farmer-Scientist Interface Conference (February 28-29), "International Trade Towards Enhancement of Competitiveness of Indian Agriculture (March 13), national seminar on "New Frontiers and Future Challenges in Horticultural Crops (March 15); Review Meet of "Network Project on Insect Biosystematics (March 27 and 28)," training workshop on "Sustainable Disposal of Domestic Sewage Effluent Using Agro-forestry Systems (April 2-5)," a national seminar on "Biotechnological Approaches in Pest Management (May 4-5)," "Research and Extension Specialists' Workshop for Soil and Water Conservation (May 7)," symposium on "Zinc in Crops and Human Health in Punjab (May 10), seminar on "Conservation Agriculture (June 7)," "Research and Extension Specialists' Workshop for Rabi Crops (August 22 and 23)" and national seminar on "Engineering Interventions and Innovations for Opportunities and Challenges in Indian Agriculture (EIIOC-2012-October 4-5)."

The Sports and Youth Activities Council of the PAU organized "46th Annual Athletic Meet" at the PAU campus track on April 11, 2012. The students of the PAU brought laurels to the University in sports and co-curricular activities, held at national level. The University celebrated/observed Republic Day, Water Resources Day, National Nutritional Week, Independence Day, etc. wherein students and faculty took part with zeal and fervour.

The PAU Vice-Chancellor, Dr Dhillon extends his best wishes to the agricultural scientists, students, non-teaching employees and farmers of the Punjab for a happy and prosperous 2013.








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