A high level team of BARC met Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Wednesday in Chandigarh and apprised him about the development.
The team comprising associate director, group and head isotope applications and radiopharmaceuticals division Dr. Gursharan Singh, Head food technology division Dr AK Sharma and Head desalination division Dr PK Tiwari, informed the chief minister that the BARC would provide technology and engineering support for setting up of these plants. These plants would also process onions, wheat, suji, maida, spices and other commodities.
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The team also apprised Badal that the institute would also provide the high yielding varieties of sugarcane, pulses including arhar, soyabean, moong besides groundnuts to the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) for its trials, which would be subsequently recommended to the farmers for sowing.
Apart from this team also agreed to suggest the technology for storage of potatoes in the state on scientific lines.
In another significant development, the BARC would set up an Isotope Hydrology Laboratory for carrying the groundwater investigations at SAS Nagar (Mohali). The Laboratory would be instrumental for detection of uranium, arsenic, phosphorous etc. in ground water and its migration to determine the interconnectivity between aquifers and their recharge, age of water and water table assessment.
The visiting team from BARC also assured the chief minister to assist the state by providing training to the staff and technical knowhow for running this high-tech laboratory.
Meanwhile the BARC team would also assist PAU in submitting its research proposals of different identified crop improvement areas, crop nutrition management etc. the Board of Research and Nuclear Science (BRNS). A detailed project for enhancing the shelf life/ improvement of Kinnow, Litichi, Guava, Pear and Mushrooms would also be submitted to BRNS.