CHANDIGARH, Sep 24 (UNI): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today called for a second Green Revolution in the country.
"It is my sincere hope that our Government will be able to put in place policies that will make this possible," he said while addressing a function to mark the 125th Annivesary of the Tribune here.
"We are investing in infrastructure to help the farmers and traders diversify their product profile.
I believe we must do more to link India to the global market.
The modernisation of the Amritsar airport will be an important step in that direction," he said.
Dr Singh said this region stands out as one of more developed and progressive regions in the country, adding it has become the granary of the sub-continent.
"This it did when every patriotic farmer of this blessed land took to the Green Revolution," he added.
The Prime Minister said the region must also rapidly develop a strong industrial base.
" We should all feel happy that Punjab has come out of a long period of distress and trouble.
It is now once again on the road to development.
The renewal of industrial activity in the state augurs well".
He said Haryana and Himachal Pradesh,too, were rapidly becoming attrative industrial destinations.
With the peace process picking up pace in Jammu and Kashmir, he said he was sure that the state, too, would gradually become a participant in the growth processes propelling India forward.
"All these states compete with others to attract investment," he said, adding the media could play an important role in this regard.
Jharkhand Minister escapes assassination bid, 4 securitymen injured RANCHI, Sep 24 (UNI): Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Enos Ekka escaped a bid on his life when suspected Maoist extremists attacked his convoy today, injuring four security personnel at Kolebira valley Simdega district.
Director General of Police V D Ram told UNI that suspected Maoist extemists blew a bridge near Saraipani at around 1000 hrs this morning, injuring four securitymen of the minister's escort party.
Ram said the extremists, hiding near the bridge, also opened fire on the escort party as its vehicle got trapped in a pit, created following the explosion.
" When the securitymen retaliated, the extremists fled leaving a sophisticated gun and some mules, used by them for ferrying goods in the hilly region.
Blood stains found on their escape route indicated that some of the extremists were hit by police bullets, he said.
Meanwhile, Simdega Deputy Commissioner Sunil Kumar told UNI that the four securitymen were injured due to collison of their vehicle with the debris of the bridge.
All of them were admitted to hospital, where they were stated to be out of danger.
Police said the Minister's programme was widely publicised and it was quite easy for the extremists to know this.
They, however, mistook the securitymen's vehicles as that of the Ministers' convoy and exploded the landmine with an intention to assassinate Ekka, police stated.
Ekka told UNI over phone that at the time of incident his vehicle was only a few km away from the site.
He was moving towards the spot waiting for the escort party.
Senior civil and police officials immediately rushed to the spot with additional forces and launched a combing operation in the area to nab the extremists.
This was the second major attack by the maoist extremists in the naxal-dominated state within a fortnight.
Earlier, on the night of September 11 night they massacred 15 people in a remote village of Giridih district bordering Bihar.
Eighteen of the 22 districts in the state has been officialy declared as "extremism-affected".
