DERA GHAZI KHAN: The Rajanpur Police rescued 12-year-old Muhammad Osama, who was kidnapped two days ago.

The child, son of Iqbal, was reportedly kidnapped near Fatehpur, close to Rajanpur police station, by an unidentified suspect, according to a police spokesperson.

Upon receiving news of the abduction, District Police Officer Dost Muhammad formed a special team, led by Rajanpur Saddar police, to prioritise the child’s safe return. Using modern technology, the team traced the suspect’s location to Faisalabad.

The Rajanpur police arrested the suspect, identified as Javed, who is now in police custody.

WHEAT CAMPAIGN: The Punjab government has set an ambitious target to cultivate wheat across 2.2 million acres in the Dera Ghazi Khan division under its “Grow More Wheat” campaign.

Monitoring teams at divisional, district, and tehsil levels are overseeing the campaign’s implementation.

At a recent divisional meeting via video link, held at the commissioner’s office in Dera Ghazi Khan and chaired by Additional Commissioner of Revenue Tahir Amin, deputy commissioners and officials were updated on the campaign’s progress by Director of Agriculture Extension Meher Abid Hussain.

Canal water has been made available early, and 1,313 green tractors will be distributed to farmers through a lottery system on a subsidy, with 21,408 applications already submitted.

Through the Kisan Card programme, Rs410 million has been allocated to support agriculture in the division, with 39,870 of the 45,613 Kisan Cards successfully distributed.

Officials highlighted the importance of providing timely access to seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, and canal water to support the cultivation cycle.

The government’s efforts aim to maximise wheat production from sowing to sale, with comprehensive support pledged for local farmers.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2024