8-hour power supply for paddy from June 15, says minister

Punjab agriculture minister Jathedar Tota Singh on Tuesday announced that the Punjab peasantry would get eight-hour uninterrupted power supply daily from June 15 in the ensuing paddy sowing season.
While reviewing arrangements for the sowing of crops in the kharif season, the minister said necessary instructions had been issued to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). He added that if there would be any change in the power supply schedule, village sarpanches, panches and agriculture officers of various districts would inform farmers well in time.
Issuing strict directions to all chief agriculture officers, district agriculture officers and other senior officers concerned of the department, Jathedar Tota Singh told them to ensure completion of all arrangements before the commencement of the kharif season.
Giving a call to Punjab’s farmers to get the soil of their fields tested from government labs in their respective areas, he said farmers should be aware about the deficiency of essential ingredients in the soil. He said farmers should opt for certified seeds as the state had ample availability of seeds, including paddy, maize and cotton. He added that more than 70% urea and 60% DAP (diammonium phosphate) was available in the state.
The minister also emphasised the need to focus on the Crop Diversification Programme, Farm Mechanisation and Value Addition Component Scheme to implement diversification on a large scale. He stated that under this scheme, 21,576 agri-machines worth Rs 38.10 crore had been distributed among farmers in the state.
He also asked officers present at the meeting to organise farmer awareness and training camps to acquaint them with government policies and programmes.
Prominent among those present at the meeting were additional chief secretary Suresh Kumar; director, agriculture, Mangal Singh Sandhu; and Mandi Board secretary Dipinder Singh.
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Bengaluru in top APAC cities for sustainable commercial real estate: Report
Bengaluru has been ranked 14 of 20 cities in the Asia Pacific region for sustainable development of commercial real estate by global consultants Knight Frank, news agency PTI said. The top five cities are Singapore, Sydney, Wellington, Perth, and Melbourne. Apart from Bengaluru, three other Indian cities - Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai - also made it to the list but were ranked in three of the bottom four places - 17, 18 and 20, respectively.
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IMD declares onset of monsoon over Delhi; ‘orange’ alert in place for Friday too
The India Meteorological Department on Thursday announced the onset of the southwest monsoon over Delhi following light spells of rainfall since early hours of the day. “The southwest monsoon has further advanced into entire Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir; some parts of Rajasthan, entire Delhi and some parts of Punjab and Haryana today, June 30, 2022,” the IMD said in a statement.
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Bengaluru daily Covid cases cross 1,000-mark; two deaths reported from Karnataka
Daily Covid cases in Bengaluru city crossed the 1,000-mark Wednesday, with 1,019 cases reported in 24 hours against the 887 on Tuesday. Daily cases in Karnataka were 1,249, which includes 696 backlog cases, according to data from the health department. Two Covid-related deaths were also reported - one from Bengaluru and the other from Chikkamangaluru. There are now 5,707 active cases in Karnataka, of which Bengaluru has a staggering 5,393.
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Roorkee: Five arrested for alleged gang rape of woman and her minor daughter
The Haridwar police on Friday arrested five persons in connection with the alleged gang rape of a 35-year-old woman and her 6-year-old daughter in a moving car in Roorkee. Circle officer (Roorkee) Vivek Kumar said they have arrested five people, including the main perpetrator of the crime. The opposition Congress also questioned the police and administration for their failure to nab them.
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What political leaders said on Uddhav Thackeray’s resignation as Maharashtra CM
Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday tendered his resignation as the chief minister of Maharashtra soon after the Supreme Court ruled that he must prove a majority in the floor test following a major political upheaval with the Shiv Sena, led by long-time aide Eknath Shinde.