‘BEAUTY CONTESTS IN FIELDS WILL ATTRACT YOUTH’

PANAJI: Goa agriculture minister Vijai Sardesai is in favour of holding beauty contests in paddy fields if that serves the purpose of attracting the youngsters to farming. The minister was responding to the demands for grants for the ariculture department in the legislative assembly on Wednesday. He said all attempts should be made to make agriculture an attractive profession. “Today agriculture does not appeal the young generation. They feel that it is a profession of the old people. The need of the hour is to incentivise agriculture,” he said.

247 cadres lost in 2 years in Chhattisgarh: Police

RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh police on Wednesday said the Maoists have acknowledged losing 247 of their cadres in encounters with security forces over the last two years. The figure with the state police however, is 39 more than that, according to special director general (antinaxal operations) DM Awasthi. Addressing a press conference here, Awasthi said the naxal casualty figure has been given out in a “press release” issued by the banned Cpi(maoist).

Cowhides recovered from warehouse in Alwar

ALWAR: The Alwar police seized 220 cowhides along with hides of 82 buffaloes and 45 goats from two warehouses in district’s Govindgarh town on Wednesday. The seizure was made on the revelation of a man arrested on Tuesday on the charges of cow slaughter, police said. Earlier, BJP MLA Gyandev Ahuja conducted a “purification ceremony” at the house of the accused, with holy water from the Ganga and rose petals.