Date:01/11/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/11/01/stories/2004110102261200.htm

National

Task Group set up to refocus farm research

By Our Staff Reporter

THRISSUR, OCT. 31. The Planning Commission has decided to improve upon and refocus agricultural research as per the direction of the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh.

The Commission has formed a Task Group under the chairmanship of M.S. Swaminathan. An electronic consultation through the Internet is being launched to seek suggestions to improve agricultural research from various sections.

The sources told The Hindu here that the Commission member, V.L. Chopra, who is also the convener of the Task Group, has written to different institutions, including the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the State Agricultural Universities and the Fellows of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Addressing issues

The Task Group will address the issue of attracting and retaining good scientists in public research institutions. It will also suggest "methods for strengthening strategic research involving frontier science and technology and anticipatory research keeping in view the challenges of variation in monsoon behaviour or climate, and for fostering crop-livestock-fish integrated farming systems and enhancing the productivity and profitability of rain-fed, semi-arid, desert, coastal and hill areas."

The Task Force has been asked to suggest ways to separate management from bureaucracy to professionalise skill management. It will also examine the present funding system of agricultural research and propose suitable changes such as introducing competitive block grant schemes or project-based funding programmes.

The Group is expected to propose steps for making agricultural research sensitive to the changes in home and external trade against the backdrop of the World Trade Organisation Agreement on agriculture. The present system of scientist recruitment and human resource development will also be examined.

Earlier proposals

Recently, the review committees had pointed out that "because of the distortions in personnel and incentive policies, the system hasbecome highly rigid and opaque, and both the Central and State systems have resorted to highly straight-jacketed recruitment, and omnibus time-scale approaches for advancement."

The Task Group has been asked to propose methods for removing such distortions, based on the recommendations of the review committees. The Group will also be exploring alternative modalities for integrating research and extension at the State level.

Suggesting methods for developing strategic partnerships among institutions such as the ICAR, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Department of Bio-Technology (DBT), Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), Department of Science and Technology (DST) as well as private sector research and development institutions is another mandate for the Task Group.

It has also been asked to propose means to involve the Panchayat Raj institutions in technology incubation, verification, participatory research and knowledge management.