Salman Ata

By Salman Ata PRODUCTION TREND OF DATES IN INDIA AND PAKISTAN Pakistan is the world’s 5 th largest producer of dates ( phoenix dactylifera ) while India is the largest importer of dates with 38% share in the international market. The major date palm growing areas in India are Kutch, Rajasthan and some parts of Punjab. However, the maximum concentration of date palm trees is found in Kutch area having more than 105 million trees. Majority of these date palm trees is either propagated through seeds or consist of another similar palm species, Phoenix Sylvestris (wild date palm). Although these trees represent huge biodiversity, yet local cultivars have lower yield potential as compared to improved cultivars which results in low farmers’ income. During the last 15 years, the government of India took major steps to promote date palm culture, especially in Kutch and Rajasthan. Due to these efforts, the area under date palm in Kutch is increased from 8,973 ha to 16,000 ha during...

Salman Ata A short time ago, I read an article on "magnetic water" in a semi-scientific magazine. I felt that all kind of cures, from cancer to joint pain, are possible by drinking magnetic water. Similarly, if you search the benefits of grapes, apple or other fruits on any website, a long list of benefits will be in front of you. In such websites, writers are trying their best to prove the fruit is extraordinary. To a large extent, this is a publicity stunt to promote a website or increase its rating. In fact, there is no such thing as “extraordinary food” or “superfood”. A major reason for believing in such information is lack of information about balanced diet. For proper functioning, the human body needs carbohydrates, fatty acids, protein, vitamins, fibre, minerals and antioxidants in a specific amount. Deficiency (or excess in some cases) of any of these can affect human health. Nutritionists divided human food into different food groups. One of these classificatio...

Critical Thinking in Educational Institutes of Pakistan The last two centuries have witnessed remarkable progress in science and technology. This course of development is still progressing at a rapid pace. But is it not strange that the contribution of 1 billion Muslims to scientific knowledge is next to nothing? If we compare the scientific inventions environment in Pakistan with the rest of the world, it is easy to realise that we are far behind. With fewer exceptions, such as Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam, there are no prominent scientific figures at all. No real scientific work has been carried out in the country. In the global creativity index of 2016, Pakistan ranked 128 out of 119 countries. There are about 0.1 million educational institutions in the country, and about 0.4 million students graduate from universities each year. But what is the reason that a country with a plenty of natural and human resources is so backwards in scientific spheres? In fact, creative activities ...