Rajasthan General News

[Yagya]

In Udaipur, artificial rain to tackle drought

JAIPUR: How does one tackle drought? Well, one could try to make it rain. That seems to be the general idea behind Udaipur-based Hindustan Zinc's cloud-seeding attempts in the state.

Cloud seeding, a form of weather modification, is the attempt to change the amount or type of precipitation that falls from clouds, by dispersing salt (or other chemicals) into the air. This serves as cloud condensation, altering the microphysical processes within the cloud.

While experiments on cloud seeding have been going on for many years, the Vedanta group company is in the middle of carrying out scientific tests in the desert state which has recently declared drought in five districts.

On Friday, a specially designed aircraft was stationed at the Udaipur airport ready with the proper equipment and professionals to try and produce rain. But the plane is yet to take off as it is waiting for the right kind of clouds suitable for seeding.

According to Met officials in the know, the clouds are likely to appear by Sunday. The Airport Authority of India (Udaipur) has been roped in to identify the right kind of clouds using its radars.

The experiment is based on the studies of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune. The agency has been working for a long time on the possibilities of rainfall through cloud seeding.

"The company is exploring the possibility of cloud seeding in Bhilwara, Rajsamand and Chittorgarh districts of Rajasthan . Currently the state is passing through drought-like situation. Hopefully , the efforts succeed in increasing rainfall in the state," said Pavan Kaushik, Hindustan Zinc's head of corporate communication.

SEEDS OF HOPE

Cloud-seeding is the attempt to change the precipitation that falls from clouds, by dispersing 'salt' or other chemicals into air Common chemicals used for cloud seeding include silver iodide, dry ice (solid carbon dioxide), liquid propane and sodium chloride (salt) First, clouds are identified that are fit for seeding. This is done using radar Then, aircraft disperse salts using flares or explosives in the lower portions of clouds The salts grow in size as water joins with them and this leads to rain.

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[Yagya]

High density cotton planting to be undertaken in Rajasthan: CITI

AHMEDABAD: The Cotton Development and Research Association ( CDRA) of the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) will undertake a pilot project for high density planting system for increasing cotton productivity in Rajasthan. Dropping productivity of the cash crop despite BT recolution in the last decade is hoped to be sorted out through these trials, CITI said.

After achieving significant increase from less than 300 kilos to more than 550 has again come down to less than 490 kilos during the last two years. Efforts of government and the textile industry for improving cotton productivity kilos per hectare during 2003-2008 on the strength of BT seeds, productivity through extension activities have been able to achieve only limited success so far. Bayer Crop Science (BCS) along with the Rajasthan government and CITI will undertake experiments to improve cotton yield on the lines of countries like Brazil which have achieved huge productivity using high density planting, said P.D. Patodia, chairman of CITI's Standing Committee on Cotton in a press statement on Friday.

Trial plots of one acre each in Ajmer, Pali, Nagur and Jodhpur districts with different spacing initially to accommodate about 18000 plants per acre to promote high density planting system for cotton. Individual textile mills of the region have also joined CITI-CDRA in implementing the project, he said.

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[Yagya]

‘Jano Apna Rajasthan’ plan for NRIs

The Rajasthan Government will launch a new scheme ‘Jano Apna Rajasthan’ to familiarise second generation non-resident people of the state with its culture. The reception organised by RANA and New York chapter of Rajasthan Foundation at Bombay Palace was attended by over 60 prominent Rajasthanis, including RANA founders and its former presidents.

Rajasthan Foundation was set up in 2001 by chief minister Ashok Gehlot, with the objective of strengthening bonds with non-resident Rajasthanis for outside investment, to work in social sector, education, health sector and tourism. It will soon open doors for next generation of Rajasthanis living abroad not just to witness the culture and traditions but also experience the progress made by the state in infrastructure, technology and transportation in an all-expenses paid trip. “The chief minister had emphasised on the need of the next generation of overseas Indian to be brought to the country and their native villages and exposing them to our rich culture and traditions.

It was announced by the chief minister at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Jaipur but on August 15 it will be formally launched,” said Rajiv Arora, vice chairman of Rajasthan Foundation. Arora emphasised to RANA members that the next generation children be frequently brought to their homeland.

At least 20 people aged between 18 and 28 will be selected to visit Rajasthan in December.

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[Yagya]

पशुओं को 87 तरह की दवाएं मिलेंगी मुफ्त, धन की कमी नहीं आने दी जाएगी :

मुख्यमंत्री ने कहा कि पशुधन निशुल्क दवा योजना में जानवरों के लिए शुरुआत में 87 तरह की दवाइयां और 13 सर्जिकल आइटम मुफ्त दिए जाएंगे। इस योजना के लिए बजट की कोई बाध्यता नहीं है, जितना पैसा खर्च होगा सरकार उपलब्ध करवाएगी। पशुधन का विकास कैसे यह सरकार का मुख्य फोकस है। राज्य में पशुधन उत्पादन में 6 प्रतिशत सालाना की बढ़ोतरी हो इस पर खास जोर रहेगा।

ओलंपिक में सिल्वर पदक विजेताओं को 50 और कांस्य पदक विजेताओं को 25-25 लाख, कृष्णा पूनिया को भी 21 लाख :

ओलंपिक पदक विजेताओं के लिए राजस्थान सरकार ने भी इनामों की घोषणा की है। मुख्यमंत्री ने कहा कि रजत पदक विजेताओं को 50=50लाख रुपए और कांस्य पदक विजेताओं को सरकार 25=25 लाख रुपए का इनाम दिया जाएगा। कृष्णा पूनिया फाइनल राउंड तक पहुंची थी, यहां तक पहुंचना भी बड़ी बात है इसलिए उन्हें भी राज्य सरकार 21 लाख रुपए का इनाम देगी।

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[Euromast]

Jodhpur boy selected among top global computer experts

Jodhpur: For 22-year-old Aditya Maheshwari, it's a rare honour - he is among the only two Indians chosen by internet giant Google for its "Mentor Summit" to be held at its headquarters in California in October this year.

Jodhu, kuch seekho issey

Link

[James Donovan]

Very nice information about Jaipur and the benefits of rain you have sheared is just awesome.

[avasheshid2]

Pushkar fair 2012 is upcoming and you can book Pushkar Hotels with great discounts at pushkar-tour.com

[diving007]

Please vote

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[petter86]

Blue Lotus Festival is an unprecedented event focused on presenting the richness of genres and styles of best of Indian Sufi, Folk, Traditional, Gypsy, Tribal, Devotional, Spiritual and Indigenous music from 13th to 18th February 2013. The festival will be celebrated in Pushkar – an ancient town of great cultural and historical importance in Rajasthan, India.

[gentem]

Water lifeline revives Bharatpur after 10 years
Palak Nandi, TNN Oct 8, 2012, 05.11AM IST

JAIPUR/NEW DELHI: After battling water shortages for 10 long years, Bharatpur is again ready to host winged visitors in numbers not seen in the bird sanctuary since the 1990s. Water from the Goverdhan drain reached the park last week, promising a permanent solution to the water woes of Keoladeo Ghana National Park.

The Goverdhan project, which became functional last Friday, uses a 17.4km pipeline to pump Yamuna flood waters from a reservoir on the Haryana-Rajasthan border to the park. The Rs 56-crore project was expected to kick off in 2009 but was delayed due to re-tendering and other formalities.

"The quality of water from Goverdhan drain is good. It even has fish. I haven't seen so much water in the sanctuary in the past 15 years," said Abhishek Bhatnagar, who heads a WWF project at Bharatpur.

As a result of plentiful water, park authorities are expecting a record turnout of migratory birds this the winter. Birds have already started flocking to the world heritage site, with painted storks, spoonbills, large and little cormorants, Indian darters, egrets, herons and saras cranes seen in the park.

Goverdhan drain ends water woes

Bharatpur is again ready to host birds as it received water from the Goverdhan drain.

"Many monsoon breeding birds have flown in to the park this year and we expect a large number of migratory birds this winter. The current water availability should support the growth of enough vegetation for all birds that come here this winter," said the park's field director, Khyati Mathur.

Bhatnagar said the park's troubles began in 2003, when the height of the Panchna dam on the Gambhiri river was raised from 253 metres to 258m, which effectively left no water for the sanctuary. Severe water shortage over the years has kept many migratory birds away from the park. The last three years were particularly bad for the park.

The maximum water capacity of the park is around 550-600 million cubic feet (mcft), of which 350 mcft is expected to be supplied by the Goverdhan drain each year. The park has also received close to 65 mcft water through the Chambal drinking water project. Though it is primarily a PHED project for Bharatpur and Dholpur, but given the crisis at the park, some water was diverted to it. Another 50 mcft was received from the Ajam Dam.

"The breeding birds at the sanctuary are a sight for sore eyes. It's been some time since the population of birds here was so good at this time of the year. The plentiful water will ensure a wonderful winter season, which will begin in early November," said Rakesh Fojdar, secretary of the Ghana Bachao Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti.

I think half the yamuna river can be diverted to rajasthan and then to gujarat and arabian sea, and name it sarasvati river or divert sindhu river in pakistan to gujarat

[Yagya]

Rajsamand puts Right to Hearing in practice

JAIPUR: Four months after implementation of the Right to Hearing Act in the state, at least one district is making it count. Rajsamand is the only district in the state to put the Act into practice. A structure has been put into place in almost 40 gram panchayats in the district to address people's woes.

The Rajasthan government is aiming to provide a time-bound hearing and disposal of complaints after the Right to Hearing Act was passed by the assembly in the last budget session. The desert state is the first in the country to ensure a right to hearing for the common man. The Act ensures that all complaints of the common man with regard to governance are addressed and disposed of in a time-bound manner.

'Response of people quite amazing'

"It is just a beginning," says a modest Dr Preetam B Yashwant, district collector, Rajsamand. "It is not that every gram panchayat in the district has a well-oiled system but we have begun a single window system in 40 gram panchayts in the district and camps for right to hearing are being held.

The Act gives the right to a common man to be heard within 15 days time of filing a complaint and a hearing from government officials within 21 days."

United Nations resident Coordinator Lise Grande, who happened to visit a Right to Hearing camp at the Kaladev panchayat in Rajsamand, was impressed with the response.

"It was quite amazing. Anyone from the panchayat could go to the camp, file a complaint, get a receipt for it and be heard. It was direct and immediate. This is the kind of good governance that the rest of the world should get to know. In UN we have to facilitate the exchange of good practices between countries and this is something that other countries must get to know," she said.

The district has held four such camps in Faroth, Kushalpura and Kaladev panchayats of Bhim block and at the Taal panchayat in the Devgarh block. Hundreds of complaints about schemes such as Rajiv Gandhi Vidyutikaran Yojna, wheat at Rs 2 per kg for BPL families, issues with water supply etc were heard and promptly addressed. Some of these camps were even combined with the on-going Prashashan Gaon Ki Sangh drive of the government.

But the going was not always easy. "The immediate task on our hand was how do we make it work? The right existed but no one had heard of it. We needed to create a system and put a structure in place that made it simple and so understandable by all. More importantly, we had to put a person in charge of taking the complaints who would accept any kind of complaint and not reject it outright," the collector said.

The Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendras in the panchayats were christened as Public Hearing Assistance office and the Rozgar Saheyak was put in charge of taking the complaints. "He is a person who does not have any motive and will not have any objection in taking any complaints as he does not belong to any department," says Yashwant. Common receipts, to be given at the time of the filing of complaints, were also designed.

"These offices remain open for specific hours everyday for accepting complaints. The moment a complaint is filed, the person is given a receipt and his hearing is done the following Friday by block level officers," he added.

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[Yagya]

Rajasthan to supply enriched milk

After successful coverage of wheat flour, soya dal analogue and oil in the food fortification programme, the Rajasthan Government on Wednesday decided to include milk in the ambitious project from March. About 16 lakh litres of milk will be fortified everyday with small quantities of vitamins A and D to make it more nutritious before its supply under the programme.

The decision for producing fortified milk was taken at a high-level meeting presided over by Minister of State for Dairy Development and Khadi and Village Industries Babulal Nagar.

The State government is implementing the project in collaboration with Jaipur-based Institute of Health Management & Research (IHMR) and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). It has been executed through the public distribution system for common citizen, women and children having low levels of nutrition and expanded to cover the midday meals scheme in schools.

Rajasthan Cooperative Dairy Federation (RCDF) chairman Jog Singh Balot, Managing Director Mukesh Sharma, GAIN country manager Rajan Shankar, senior programme associate Deepti Gulati and IHMR Director S. D. Gupta were among those who attended the meeting.

Mr. Nagar said the initiative would make milk nutritious and help deal with the problem of malnutrition among large sections of population, especially children. “The RCDF will supply 'Saras' milk after its fortification in 17 processing plants situated in different districts,” he said.

Dr. Shankar pointed out that fortified food had led to a significant increase in the nutrition levels in several countries and yielded encouraging results with very little investments: “We are making attempts to provide all necessary elements through food fortification to the vulnerable sections of population, such as children, pregnant women and lactating women.”

The food fortification does not change colour, taste or aroma of food material and makes it wholesome, said Dr. Shankar. IHMR project director O. P. Gupta said the centralised kitchens were supplying fortified soya dal analogue containing additional micronutrients for mid-day meals given to school children.

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[Yagya]

CCTNS project launched in Jaipur, Jodhpur

JAIPUR: In a major step towards making FIRs and other police data online, the state government launched the ambitious Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & System (CCTNS) project in Jaipur and Jodhpur on Friday. In the first phase, the CCTNS pilot project has been launched in 25 police stations of Jodhpur, west and Jaipur west police districts, and 13 offices of senior police officers in the state.

The CCTNS is being developed by the Union ministry of home affairs for sharing information on crime and criminals among nearly 16,000 police stations in the country. It was formally launched in the state by the additional chief secretary home, Ashok Sampatram and DGP Harish Chandra Meena in the presence of senior police and administration officers from the Bani Park police station in Jaipur on Friday.

With the launch, making the FIR and other police data online has started across all pilot police stations. Sampatram said the remaining police stations and higher offices in the state would be connected in phases by end of 2015.

Ministry of home affairs joint secretary Rashmi Goel said during the function that CCTNS project would help in providing better policing services to citizens. DGP Meena said the project aims at creation of a nationwide networking infrastructure for evolution of IT-enabled sophisticated tracking system around investigation of crime and detection of criminals. He also said that CCTNS will help in building transparency across the police system in state and will build trust among the citizens.

The state nodal officer of CCTNS project, Rajasthan, Sharat Kaviraj said the CCTNS would provide a comprehensive database for crimes and criminals in Rajasthan, which will be integrated with central database and it will help in better tracking of criminals in the region. Both CCTNS and manual entry at police stations will continue simultaneously till March 1, 2013. CCTNS would be implemented in three phases in all the police stations and higher offices in all 33 districts across the state.

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[Yagya]

Govt plans double check on hospitals to reduce infant, maternal death rates

JAIPUR: Being one of the states with highest infant mortality rate (IMR) and maternal mortality ratio (MMR), the Rajasthan government is planning to assess the quality of its services to infants and their mothers. On the basis of the assessment, steps would be taken to improve labour rooms, outpatient departments and infant wards. In comparison to national average, the state has high IMR and MMR.

Currently, the state medical health and family welfare department has adopted two mechanisms to improve healthcare for infants and mothers - quality circle (within hospital) and district quality assessment committee (within state).

The Sample Registration Survey (2007-09) shows that the state recorded 318 deaths per1 lakh live births against a national average of 212 per 1lakh live births. As per the Sample Registration Survey (2010), the IMR in state is 55 per 1000 live births against a national average of 47 per 1000 live births. So far, the state government has already taken various steps to reduce MMR and IMR, including launch of Janani Shishu Suraksha Yojna.

The health department has decided that the quality of services provided by district for infant and maternal care would be assessed at least four times every year by the first mechanism it adopted. Through the second mechanism - the quality circle - which is an internal assessment mechanism of hospitals -there would be an assessment of the facilities every month. A committee comprising the principal medical officer and gynecologists, pediatrician, anesthetist and representatives of nursing staff, ward boys and laboratory technicians as members would be formed to oversee the facilities. Health department source said an official circular of the quality circle will soon be issued.

Under the first assessment system, a department official said, all reproductive and child health officers (RCHOs) have been sensitized about the assessment procedure in a meeting held recently at the medical directorate in Jaipur. They were directed to select potential quality assessors in their district to form a committee, who would assess the quality of services being provided in some other district hospitals. Similarly, their district hospital would be assessed by quality assessors of some other districts.

The official said there would be a check list, which is approved by the Centre to ensure quality healthcare facilities at the district hospital. The assessors would check the quality of the services on the basis of the check list. The assessors would see whether the labour room, OPD and new-born wards are free from infection. General cleanliness of the hospital is also included in the check list. "There are norms which must be followed at labour rooms, OPD and infant wards so that the IMR and MMR are reduced," a health department official said.

After the assessment, the health department officials and district hospital authorities would find out ways to improve the services.

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[Yagya]

Rajasthan sees highest jump in vehicle registration

JAIPUR: It's raining cars in Rajasthan, and considering factors like congestion and pollution, that may not be a good thing. Registration of motor vehicles in the state has witnessed a sharp rise and it ranks sixth in terms of vehicle registration in the country. In fact, in the non-metro category, Jaipur ranked second next to Pune in terms of registration of vehicles.

Coming after the state's appalling show in environment statistics released by the central government last week, the desert state's green rating is taking a beating.

The year 2011 saw registration of 79,86,265 motor vehicles in the state, a rise of 11.4% over the previous year where it was 71,65,662. In terms of percentage growth it has been the highest in country and accounted for 5.6% of total registration in India, though in numbers it ranked sixth. Within the state, Jaipur was the leading city where 16,93,972 were registered with the RTO in 2011.

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[Yagya]

Rajasthan government plans to track every birth

JAIPUR: In its drive to improve sex ratio in the state, the Rajasthan government is planning to make it mandatory for private hospitals to send day-to-day reports to medical directorate on every child born.

The health department collects figures of births from government hospitals but no such process is in place to collect daily updates from private hospitals. Now, as the department frames rules for the newly implemented Clinical Establishment Act 2010, private hospitals would also be directed to send daily reports of births.

The Clinical Establishment Act is intended to keep a check on all hospitals. Under the new Act, every hospital will have to get registered. And if a private hospital flouts norms and rules of the Act, the health department will take action.

At present, private hospitals send daily online reports of every sonography done on pregnant women under the pre-conception pre-natal and diagnostic techniques (PCPNDT) Act 1994. But, a PCPNDT cell official said they do not get information from private hospitals about births. "There is Form F, which is a must to be filled up by doctors. The name of the pregnant woman, husband's name, address, contact number and various other details must be furnished. An incomplete Form F or wrong information violates the PCPNDT Act."

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[Yagya]

Rajasthan minds its language on women

New Delhi: Anyone who calls a woman dayan, dakan, dakin, chilavan, opri, chudail or bhootni and uses criminal force against her can face seven years in jail if the ordinance mooted by the Congress-led Rajasthan government is cleared by the Centre.

The Rajasthan government, which hosted the Congress’ chintan shivir, has submitted the Rajasthan Women (Prevention of Atroci-ties) Ordinance, 2013, to the Union ministry of home affairs seeking Presidential assent to promulgate it.

Rajasthan has also included khap panchayats, making a woman do begar (a form of bonded labour), parading a woman naked, taking a virginity test or forcing her to eat inedible substances punishable under the proposed law. These provisions are missing in the Central ordinance. The MHA is seeking the law ministry’s opinion on it.

Rajasthan is the only state to have approached MHA for bringing its own ordinance on sexual offences and crime against women.

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[Yagya]

Rajasthan Police goes the ‘app-way’ to curb crime

Jaipur: Rajasthan Police is seeking to take a lead in coordinating its actions through specially designed smartphone applications which will enable citizens to report crime instantly using their high-end mobile phones.

'RajCop' and 'i-watch', the two smart phone applications developed exclusively for Rajasthan police by IT major Data Infosys Limited, have certain features which are first in the country to report crime instantly using the smart phones.

The application available on android phones serve as an online communication platform for officers and citizens to share photos and video clips with control room or police station concerned. It will also allow citizens to verify a domestic help or tenant and even send an alert during an emergency to police control room.

"i-Watch' is for public use and 'RajCop' is designed for police personnel," Sharat Kaviraj, Superintendent of Police for State Crime Records Bureau said.

"Tenant verification, crime reporting by uploading video or photo, and alert sending at emergency are the features of 'i-Watch' whereas 'RajCop' facilitates police to access details of the owners of any vehicle or mobile number besides prompt crime reporting," he said.

For verification, 'i-Watch' user needs to upload photo and details of tenant which will instantly go to the server of police station concerned. "Thereafter, a policeman will go to the spot for verification. In the process, the landlord also needs not to visit the police station and the details uploaded by the user will come handy for the cops," he said.

The officer said the application has a unique feature of alert sending by just pressing a button at the time of emergency.

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Mobile Application for Citizens of Rajasthan. An initiative by Rajashtan Police to connect citizens to stop crime and provide services without much trouble.
The application is Launched on 11th Feb 2013.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...VibGljYXBwIl0.

[Yagya]

An oasis in the desert

Rajasthan’s farmers are cashing in on the favourable climatic conditions to cultivate this crop, and the growing demand for the oil

Rajasthan olive nursery produces more than 1 million plants annually


Over the next three years, 5,000 hectares will come under olive cultivation


Rajasthan’s cold winter spells are conducive to olive farming

Amar Singh, 64, is not a regular farmer. When he decided to take up farming at his family’s 9-hectare farmland in northern Rajasthan’s Bikaner district, he was clear he didn’t want to grow the routine crops such as wheat and cotton. He tried growing tangerine for a few years, and then Singh read about the olive cultivation experiment in Rajasthan and became curious.

“I visited the government farms in Lunkaransar (Bikaner) and Barore in neighbouring Sriganganagar district to learn more about olive farming, and in August 2012 decided to set aside a portion of my farm for olive cultivation,” he says. Singh, who has planted olive trees on 1 hectare, is one of the first farmers in Rajasthan who have decided to bet on the foreign crop.

“Olive cultivation is leading to a farming revolution in Rajasthan ... We are flooded with applications from farmers. ”
Ajai Kumar Pachori, COO, ROCL

It was in 2007 that the first experiment in olive cultivation began in the desert state.After the success of the pilot project, saplings have now been planted on 15 hectares of privately owned fields in Bikaner, Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh districts, and more applications wait for approval at the Jaipur office of the Rajasthan Olive Cultivation Limited (ROCL), which conducted the pilot. The area under olive cultivation will gradually increase to 5,000 hectares over the next three years.

On Rajasthan becoming the first state in the country to start commercial cultivation of olives, ROCL chief operating officer (COO) Ajai Kumar Pachori says: “Olive cultivation is leading to a farming revolution in Rajasthan. After the success of the pilot project, we have now entered the commercial cultivation stage and are flooded with applications from farmers. So far, we have approved applications for 61 hectares, out of which 15 hectares have already been planted with saplings.”

ROCL distributes saplings raised at its high-tech olive nursery at Bassi, Jaipur, to selected farmers at 75 per cent of the plant cost. The company charges Rs15,400 (Dh1,057) per hectare. The nursery, where saplings are being incubated with Israeli technology, has a capacity to produce more than 1 million plants annually; 500,000 are now ready for planting.

Suresh Nandal, who planted olive in 4 hectares in September last year, is happy with the growth. The plants are now three-four inches (8-10 centimetres) tall, he says. Nandal owns 150 “bighas” of land in Gardadasar village of Bikaner’s Lunkaransar tehsil. He says people are health-conscious now and are turning to olive oil. “I read about olive cultivation in Rajasthan on Google and visited a government farm in Bikaner, where Dr Sitaram Yadav, a scientist, advised me to try the new concept in farming,” he says. The next thing Nandal did was pay a visit to the ROCL nursery in Bassi and apply for saplings.


Tarsem Singh Randhawa, 42, has also been drawn to the crop for its oil. “When I was in Southall, London, in 2001, I noticed how everyone used olive oil for cooking,” he says. On his return to his village in Sriganganagar, he heard about olive cultivation in the Barore government farm. “When I visited the farm last year, fruiting had begun, and I was convinced I could grow olives at my farms too,” he says. Randhawa has planted olives in 4 hectares, and says if the results are good, he will shift completely to olives from wheat and mustard.

Sukhbir Singh, 44, from a village in Khajuwala tehsil of Bikaner, learnt about the olive-cultivation project from a friend. Last year, he planted saplings on 1 hectare while his friend Ram Pratap Verma in a neighbouring village set aside 2 hectares for this Mediterranean crop.

Olives are best planted in temperatures below 10C and needs 10C-18C during the flowering stage, in September-October. The cold winter spells in Rajasthan make the state conducive to olive farming. The climatic conditions in the state are similar to Israel, which has been successful in farming olives. The plant, which requires little water, is sturdy enough to weather the region’s high temperatures.

The olive-cultivation project in Rajasthan was conceived in 1996 after a team of farmers and agriculture experts visited Israel to study the technical feasibility and economic viability of the crop. Following recommendations of this team, the government decided to promote olive cultivation in public-private partnership.

In 2007, ROCL was set up by the Government of Rajasthan through Rajasthan State Agriculture Marketing Board in collaboration with Plastro Plasson Industries (India) Limited (now Finolex Plasson Industries [India] Limited) and Pune & Indolive Limited of Israel.

ROCL imported 112,000 olive plants from Israel and undertook plantation on 182 hectares in seven government farms — Barore (Sriganganagar), Bakalia (Nagaur), Lunkaransar (Bikaner), Santhu (Jalore), Basbisna (Jhunjhunu), Tinkirudi (Alwar) and Bassi (Jaipur) — in different agro-climatic regions of the state. The company has chosen seven leading varieties — Barnea, Arbequina, Cortina, Picholine, Picual, Coraniki and Frontoy — for cultivation in Rajasthan.

The first plants were planted in March 2008 at Bassi. Olive plants at all plantation sites showed good growth and fruiting occurred this year at three farms, Barore, Bakalia and Lunkaransar, while flowering was observed at Basbisna, Tinkirudi and Bassi. Well-known olive experts in the world have been regularly visiting, inspecting and monitoring the progress in the farms and providing technical know-how, while Israeli expert Gideon Peleg has been based in India as a full-time technical consultant.

“After ROCL decided to go for commercial cultivation, it engaged young agriculture professionals to act as trainers to the farmers, and olive experts made several visits to the fields to provide farmers with technical guidance and to supervise plantation,” ROCL’s Pachori says.

Olive is mainly grown for its oil. The quality of oil is the main criterion for judging the price of produce. According to ROCL manager Yogesh Kumar, one hectare of farmland under cultivation can produce 2.5 tonnes of oil and 15 tonnes of fruit with 12-16 per cent profit, bringing gains of up to Rs350,000 per hectare. “Farmers can get Rs170-Rs200 per litre on their produce,” he adds.

The company, he adds, has completed formalities to import a Rs30 million oil-extraction machine from Italy to be installed in Bikaner.

Kumar says most states in north India have favourable climatic conditions for olive plantation and many have shown interest in the crop. “Odisha and Punjab have taken saplings for 10 hectares each from us, while scientists of Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University will soon take saplings from our Bassi nursery. Haryana is also showing interest,” he adds.

The cost of a sapling is Rs150 and one needs 550 saplings for 1 hectare. For Rajasthan farmers, the subsidised rate is Rs28 per sapling.

The success in Rajasthan has also caught the attention of leading olive oil manufacturers such as Borges Mediterranean Food Products and Leonardo Olive Oil. “These two companies have shown interest in our product. We are also in talks with Indian Olive Association for marketing olive oil,” Kumar says. ROCL will invite bids in September-October this year to ensure it gets the best price.

And even as more farmers in Rajasthan wait for the end of February to plant olive saplings in their fields, leading olive oil manufacturers are already keen on tapping India’s growing demand for this healthy cooking oil. Surely, Rajasthan farmers can expect a rich harvest.

Rakesh Kumar is a writer based in Jaipur, India.

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[Yagya]

40 FM radio stations set to come up in Rajasthan

JAIPUR: The Union budget 2013-14 which was presented in Parliament on Thursday has paved way for setting up of nearly 40 FM radio stations in the state. According to the Union ministry of information and broadcasting, almost 18 cities in Rajasthan will be opened up for the new stations.

The number of proposed FM channels in the capital city is six out of which only one is left for bidding. Similarly in Jodhpur, Kota and Udaipur, the proposed stations are four but all these cities already have three each. The cities which are likely to be benefited from phase III of the FM radio bidding will be Alwar, Bewar, Bharatpur, Sikar, Tonk, Pali, Sriganganagar and a few more.

Radio Mirchi, a leading player of radio industry, is hoping to get into the untapped markets of Rajasthan. "We are happy with the announcement. New stations will certainly unleash with new vigour in the radio industry. Radio Mirchi will aggressively bid in phase III, whenever it comes up and like to entertain people all across the state" said Ajay Singh Rathore, programming head, Jaipur.

However, on drinking water projects for which the state has sent a long wishlist, the budget was a bit of disappointment. The projects are worth Rs. 21,000 crore and are either ongoing or likely to come to the state. The state government was looking for a major financial assistance from the budget for the projects. However, no major announcement came in the budget.

"Drinking water is among the major priorities of the government. We proposed several state centric schemes to be included in the budget. But somehow it could not make out in this year's budget," a senior government official said.

The other long pending demand which state was expecting is the declaration of Rajasthan University as a Central university. "Jaipur, which is emerging as one of the biggest education hubs in the country, should have at least one central university. But the government certainly failed in understanding the sentiments of the people form Rajasthan," said Giriraj Singh Shekhawat, a student leader.

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