PAU will usher in second green revolution:VC

Ludhiana, Mar 11 (UNI) The Rs 100 crore special central grant announced by Finance Minister P Chidambaram in his budget speech for Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) will promote research aimed at ushering in a second green revolution that will go a long way in safeguarding the country's food security, Vice Chancellor Dr K S Aulakh said here today.

An elaborate exercise is on at the PAU to prepare a blue print for utilising this grant. Dr Aulakh is engaged in wide ranging consultations with experts from different disciplines and contemplating a brain storming session to give shape to the roadmap for the second green revolution.

The blue print is based on the analogy that Rs 100 crore would be the '' corpus fund'' to be utilized in a regulated manner from the interest money that would accrue.

Broad contours of the blue print indicate that the expected annual interest money of around Rs six crore will be utilized to focus on biotechnology, food processing, farm power machinery, manmagement of natural resources, animal health nutritioon, crop improvement through hybridization and developing transgenic plants.

Focus will also be on market intelligence and creating awareness on intellectual Property Rights in view of the emerging scenario of trade liberalization and global development strategies.

UNI HS MSJ DS1147