The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an apex national organization for conducting and co-ordinating research and education in agriculture, including animal husbandry and fisheries. It was set up on 16th July 1929 as the Imperial (now Indian) Council of Agriculture Research, an autonomous body (a registered society), on the reommendation of the Royal Commission on Agriculture. It was reorganized twice - 1965 and 1973.
The Union Minister of Agriculture is President of the ICAR Society. The Director General (DG) is the Principal Executive Officer and is also the Secretary to the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE). The DARE is the nodal department for all related scientific and development activities and bilateral scientific collaborations with other countries. The Governing Body, the chief executive and decision making authority, is chaired by the DG, which consists of eminent agricultural personalities. Standing Finance Committee, Standing Policy Planning Committee, Accreditation Board, Regional Committees and Scientific Panels assist the DG in carrying out his functions. The Council has its headquarters at New Delhi, and a vast network for research all over country.
Since independence, the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) has grown considerably. From a few central institutes, regional centres, commodity boards and agricultural colleges, addressing regional problems, the NARS at present, led by the ICAR, has:
47 central research institutes including 5 multidisciplinary national institutes (4 of them are deemed - to - be universities)
30 national research centres (NRCs)
5 national bureaux
10 project directorates
80 all-India co-ordinated research projects (AICRPs) / network and 16 other projects/progammes in the public sector.
Besides, there are;
30 state agricultural universities (SAUs) and 1 Central Agricultural University, which operate through 313 regional research stations.
THE GOAL
Sustainable growth of Indian agriculture by interfacing education, research and extension initiatives complemented with efficient and effective institutional, infrastructural and policy support that will create a proper fit between humanity and its habitat.
ACHIEVEMENTS
In the area of agricultural research, an appreciable pace of research has been exhibited in all sectors, viz., crops, horticulture, natural resource management, livestock, fisheries and agricultural engineering. The technology led developments in agriculture have made India self-sufficient in food grains and a leading producer of several commodities in world. The Green revolution in crops, Yellow revolution in oilseeds, White revolution in milk production, Blue revolution in fish production and a Golden revolution in horticulture bear an ample testimony to the contributions of agricultural research and development efforts undertaken in the country. Salient achievements in agricultural research are as follows:
More than 180,000 germplasm accessions of agri-horticultural crops and their wild relatives collected and preserved in the National Gene Bank
Conservation programmes taken up for fish-stocks and endangered coldwater fish mahseer and riverine fish
Released 2,600 high yielding varieties/hybrids of field crops and 460 high yielding varieties/hybrids of horticultural and plantation crops.
Adequate breeder seed production to meet the national demand
Use of biotechnology for production of clonal variants in rapeseed and mustard
First in world to develop hybrid cotton, pearl millet (grain), castor and pigeonpea and second to develop hybrid rice.
Developed region-specific integrated pest management modules for crops and weeds
Developed surveillance, monitoring and forecasting programmes for several plant, animal and fish diseases.
Developed immuno-biologicals against bacterial, viral and parasitic diseases, making India self-sufficient in preventive veterinary medicine
Developed alternatives to shifting cultivation for the north-east region
Contingent crop plans and management strategies developed to deal with aberrant weather.
Developed high-yielding crossbred cows, buffaloes, sheep, goats and poultry breeds; and utilized superovulation techniques for quick production of calves from superior bovine females using biotechnology.
Soil maps of the country, states and agro-eco-regions developed
IPNS (integrated plant nutrients system) and biofacilities developed and popularized
Developed technologies for enhancing water-use efficiency; bio-engineering measures to reduce runoff and soil losses in hilly and mountain areas; model watersheds and methodology for artificial ground-water recharge for managing rainfed areas; ground water-modules for predicting waterlogging and salinity hazards in irrigation commands; sub-surface drainage technology for waterlogged saline soil; and techniques for sand-dunes stabilization.
Zero energy cooling chamber for on-farm storage developed
Post-harvest technology developed for minimizing wastes and byproduct utilization and value addition in crops, animals and fishery
Equipment developed for various post-harvest operations of field crops, vegetables and tuber crops
Developed technologies for processing milk, meat, eggs and fibres into quality products.
Technologies developed for extraction and production of chemicals and pharmaceutical products from plants and marine organisms, for absorbable surgical sutures from fish guts; and the technology of chitin/chitosan as haemostatic agent as well as growth promoter commercialized.
About 250 tools and implements adopted/developed indigenously for land development, tillage, interculture, plant protection, harvesting and threshing.
Organized training courses for skill upgradation for national and international staff particularly in frontier sciences
Established computer based Agricultural Research Information System
Signed MOUs with 15 countries and 16 international organizations for international cooperation
Enhanced partnership with NGOs, private sector in research and extension
Vision 2020 documents for all the institutes, SAUs and ICAR developed.
Organization and management (O&M) reforms for better work culture introduced
Strong education infrastructure developed. Accreditation norms developed for agricultural institutions to improved education quality. Large number of scholarships/fellowships instituted for promotion of excellence in agricultural education. Several awards instituted to promote excellence in teaching, research, extension-work and publications.
National Professors, Visiting Scientists, Sabbatical, National Fellows and Centres of Excellence schemes launched to promote excellence in science.
Agricultural human resource development project launched with the financial support of world bank for improving standards of agricultural education and building capabilities.
National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP) was launched with world bank support to strengthen the ongoing research and technology generation, assessment and dissemination activities in selected agro-eco-regions production systems.
Effective technology assessment, refinement and transfer done through 8 Trainer's Training Centres, 261 Krishi Vigyan Kendras, and 42 Institution Villange-Linkage Programme Centres.
Strong infrastructure developed for publications established on agriculture, and for agri-business to provide latest information
New initiatives such as removal of dichotomy, reconstitution and revival of Standing Policy Planning Committee, reorganization of Publications and Information Division, establishment of National Agricultural Science Centre, National Agricultural Museum and introduction of project-based budgeting taken up.
Policy-planning including intellectual property rights and gender issues addressed through special programmes and institutes. Formulation and implementation of rules and guidelines done for resource mobilization through consultancy, contract research training and revolving fund schemes.
Financial support enhanced to professional societies in agricultural and allied sciences to promote academic activities.
Mechanisms for monitoring and review developed through constitution of Institute Management Committees, Staff Research Councils, Research Advisory Councils and Quinquennial Review Teams.
