Indian Agricultural Research Institute

Indian Agricultural Research Institute
Abbreviation IARI
Formation 1 April 1905 (1905-04-01)
Purpose Agricultural research and education
Location
Coordinates 28°04′48″N 77°07′12″E / 28.080°N 77.120°E / 28.080; 77.120
Director[1]
 Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra (2015 - present)
Parent organisation
 Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
Website www.iari.res.in
Formerly called
 Imperial Agricultural Research Institute

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) commonly known as Pusa Institute[2] is India's premier national Institute for agricultural research, education and extension.

Situated in Delhi, it is financed and administered by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The IARI was responsible for the research leading to the "Green Revolution in India" of the 1970s.[3][4]

History

Logo of the Imperial Agricultural Research Institute
Imperial Agricultural Research Institute, at its original location Pusa, Bihar, circa 1927

The institute was originally established in 1905 at Pusa, Bihar, as Agricultural Research Institute (ARI), which was changed to Imperial Institute of Agricultural Research in 1911 and then again in 1919 as the Imperial Agricultural Research Institute.[2] with the financial assistance of an American Philanthropist, Henry Phipps, Jr.. Phipps was a family friend of Lady Curzon, who was the daughter of American millionaire and wife of Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India. Phipps stayed as a guest of Curzons during his visit to India. More importantly, Phipps left behind with them a donation of $30,000, which was utilized for the establishment of the institute. He laid the foundation stone of Agricultural Research Institute and college on 1 April 1905.[5]

However the institute was damaged during the devastating Bihar earthquake of 1934 which occurred on 15 January 1934. Thereafter the Secretary of State approved the transfer in July, 1943.[6] The Standing Finance Committee of the Union Assembly finally announced on 25 August 1934 in Shimla, the decision to shift the institute to New Delhi at the approximate cost of ₹3.8 million (US$56,000).[7] to a place that is now called Pusa in New Delhi. The new campus at New Delhi was inaugurated on 29 July 1936,[2] while the new building of the Imperial Institute of Agricultural Research was inaugurated by then Viceroy of India, Lord Linlithgow on 7 November 1936.[8]

Post-independence:1947-present

Post-independence, the institute renamed Indian Agricultural Research Institute,[2] and in 1950 the Shimla sub-station of institute developed Rust-resistant varieties of wheat, including Pusa 718, 737, 745, and 760.[9] In 1958, it was recognized as a "deemed university" under the UGC act of 1956[10] of Parliament and since then it has awarded MSc and PhD degrees.[2]

What remained of the institute at the original location was downgraded to an agricultural research station until 1970, when the Government of Bihar established the Rajendra Agricultural University at the location.[5]

Overview

It will serve the cause of science and society with distinction through first rate research, generation of appropriate technologies and development of human resources. In fact, the Green Revolution was born in the fields of IARI and its graduates constitute the core of the quality human resource in India's agricultural research and education. The Institute has all along been adjusting and improving its policies, plans and programmes to effectively respond to the needs and opportunities of the nation. During the fifties, the advancement of scientific disciplines constituted the core programme and provided the base for its fast expansion in the 1960s and 1970s in all its three interactive areas, namely, research, education and extension. Besides basic research, applied and commodity research gained great importance resulting in the development of several popular high yielding varieties of almost all major crops and their associated management technologies, which brought about an unprecedented increase in the national food and agricultural production.

The campus is spread over 500 hectares (5.0 km2), 8 km west of New Delhi Railway Station. This was initially outside Delhi, but over the decades the city has grown much beyond the campus.[11] Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute is affiliated with and is located in the campus of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute.[12]

Schools at IARI

Frauds

Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), the major institute of ICAR has produced a few frauds of agricultural Research. Prominent among them is Dr K.C. Bansal.

K.C. Bansal

Dr. Bansal is Director of National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) and worked at Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI). Dr Bansal was recognized by ICAR with the prestigious Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award (2007-2008) for patenting a technique to transfer foreign gene to brinjal chloroplast. It was found that Dr Bansal did not have such a patent to his credit and that he filed an application for patent only after the award was given. The matter got wide publicity in press, media and scientific journals[14][15][16][17][18]

Several scientists demanded Shri Sharad Pawar, Former Minister for Agriculture to remove Dr Bansal from the post of Director, NBPGR[19] Questions were raised in Indian Parliament.[20] Mr Tariq Anwer, Minister of State for Agriculture has answered that an enquiry has been initiated to look into the issues. However, reports suggest that ICAR hushed up the matter and RTI queries for the outcome of the enquiry were not answered.[21]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Administration". Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "About IARI". Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  3. ↑ "History of Research in Indian Agriculture". Indian Agricultural Research Institute.
  4. ↑ "‘Pusa Institute’ is still the best". The Times of India. 30, 2001. Retrieved 13 September 2013. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. 1 2 "About Pusa". Rajendra Agricultural University, Pusa Samastipur , Bihar. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  6. ↑ "Pusa Agricultural Research Institute". The Indian Express, Madras. 4 July 1934. p. 1. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  7. ↑ "Pusa Institute To Be Removed To Delhi". The Indian Express, Madras. 27 August 1934. p. 1. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  8. ↑ "Agricultural Research Institute Building Opened". Indian Express. 9 November 1936. p. 2. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  9. ↑ "Rust-resistant Wheat Varieties .Work At Pusa Institute". The Indian Express. 7 February 1950. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  10. ↑ "UGC Act-1956" (PDF). mhrd.gov.in/. Secretary, University Grants Commission. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  11. ↑ "Our Campus". Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  12. ↑ "Origin & Growth". Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  13. ↑ "Schools of IARI". Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  14. ↑ India Today: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/genetically-modified-food-crops-researcher-kailash-c-bansal-grabbed-rafi-ahmed-kidwai-award-for-patent-claim/1/226654.html
  15. ↑ Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2224489/Top-GM-food-scientist-false-patent-claim.html
  16. ↑ Down to Earth: http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/maya-indian-science
  17. ↑ Down to Earth: http://www.downtoearth.org.in/category/tags/k-c-bansal
  18. ↑ Indian Institute of Patents: http://www.iipta.com/ipr/blog/forging-patent-claims-national-award-1007
  19. ↑ http://agrariancrisis.in/2012/10/31/join-us-in-demanding-the-removal-of-dr-k-c-bansal-as-nbpgr-head
  20. ↑ Lok Sabha: http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/psearch/QResult15.aspx?qref=132451
  21. ↑ India Today: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/need-to-think-through-ban-on-alcohol-says-dinesh-c.-sharma/1/379037.html

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