FAISALABAD, Jan 24: The University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, should play its role for establishing agricultural colleges at district level to strengthen the sector by ensuring modern education , technology and skills at the grassroots level.

Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool stated this at the 12th convocation of the university here on Saturday.

He praised the role of the university in providing trained manpower and visionary scientists to the agriculture sector in addition to providing healthy atmosphere on the campus with positive attitude of its qualified faculty.

"However, we must think that to whom this university is serving and whether it has achieved its fundamental objectives. No doubt, it is serving the farmers living in far flung areas and are facing a number of problems like over or under production, paucity of canal water, high markup on agriculture loans, shortage of certified seed and in time availability of fertilizer and pesticides, etc."

The governor said the university should play its role to help farmers as well as advising the government to adopt necessary measures to improve the skills of farmers who were already facing multifarious problems.

He said the federal government was aware of the importance of much needed funds for significant improvement in agriculture sector and has also given grants to all universities of the province through Higher Education Commission (HEC) during the last four years.

Governor Maqbool said the Punjab government was doing its best to help farmers. "It has withdrawn agriculture income tax from small farmers."

He said the government was implementing a number of projects to improve irrigation system to enhance availability of canal water.

Congratulating the medal and degree holders, he expressed the hope that they would use their potentials for a qualitative as well as quantitative improvement in the agriculture sector.

Earlier, vice-chancellor Prof Dr Riaz Husain Qureshi presented welcome address.

Later, the governor conferred degrees upon the students who have passed their PhD, MSc Honours, MSc and BSc in 2000 and medals on position holders.-APP

Our Correspondent adds: Governor Maqbool said the government was carrying on reformation of its departments for providing the benefits of latest technology to the masses.

He stated this during a visit to the offices of Wapda, Nadra, Zarai Taraqqiati Bank (ZTBL), PTCL and post office in Jaranwala tehsil, about 35 kilometres from here, as a part of his monitoring campaign of the federal government departments.

The governor said all the resources were being utilized for the purpose so that the people could have access to quality facilities without any difficulty.

Inquiring about the performance and complaints about federal government departments from the people gathered there, he directed the Wapda authorities to immediately change old electricity meters in Jaranwala, remove high voltage wires from residential areas, ensure new connection for agricultural tubewells on priority basis and launch an operation to end power theft.

He directed the ZTBL officers to extend maximum number of agricultural loans and facilities to women entrepreneurs so that they could play their role in national development.

During his visit of Nadra Swift Centre, the governor ordered launch of extensive mobile service besides setting up centres in Khurrianwala and Jaranwala.

Listening to the public complaints at the PTCL offices, he directed the officials concerned to extend internet and telephone facilities to the villages.

Governor Maqbool told the people efforts would be made for extending cellular phone facilities to the people of Jaranwala.

Reviewing facilities being extended to the public at the Jaranwala post office, he ordered immediate provision of 'fax money order' and other facilities by utilizing the latest technology in the communication sector.

Later, the governor inaugurated the project for the provision of gas to Kalim Shaheed Colony here. The district Nazim told him that the project would cost Rs13.6 million and 4,000 families of the locality would benefit from it.