HISAR:
Haryana introduced tele-agriculture today to enable the state's farmers to refer their problems to experts in various fields in the department of agriculture and in Chaudhary Charan Singh's Haryana agricultural university, Hisar, over the phone.

The cost of all such phone calls would be borne by the state government.

According to the chief minister's principal secretary Mr M K Miglani, "Haryana is the first state to introduce tele-agriculture in the country.

"Mr Miglani told ET that during a recent visit by Mr D V Seth, chairman, Bharat Sanchar Nigam, to Chandigarh, chief minister O P Chautala requested him that BSNL should introduce wireless in local loop (WiLL) technology in the entire state.

However, till this is done, BSNL should immediately introduce WiLL technology in the gate-area of the cooperative sugar mills at Shahbad Markanda (in Kurukshetra district) so that the mill officials and cane-growers could get in touch with each other over the phone during the crushing season.

If the system works, it would be introduced in other successful cooperative establishments, including sugar mills and the agencies of the Haryana State Cooperative Supply & Marketing Federation.