Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has called for a fundamental shift in India’s agricultural research, emphasising that its direction must now be dictated by the needs of farmers. Addressing the annual conference of vice chancellors from state agriculture universities (SAUs) and directors of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutes, Chouhan directed ICAR to set and evaluate 3-4 concrete targets annually, stressing accountability and practical outcomes.
Expressing concern over the apparent disconnect between scientists and farmers, the Minister urged agricultural university vice-chancellors to prioritise practical training for students. He also instructed ICAR Director-General ML Jat to unearth actionable points from dormant committee reports, categorising them for immediate implementation. “It is a waste of time to repeat what has transpired,” Chouhan asserted, interrupting a summary presentation to demand an “action taken report” on last year’s decisions.
This direct approach reportedly surprised ICAR’s top brass. For the upcoming year, Jat announced a shift to a single, demand-driven Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) for research, replacing the current division-wise system. He also called for a comprehensive report mapping the extension system’s needs to achieve a “Viksit Bharat” by 2047.
