Grant sought to upgrade farm research institutes

The parliamentary standing committee on agriculture has asked the Planning Commission and the finance ministry to provide a one-time catch-up grant of Rs 1,000 crore to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in a phased manner in the current Plan period.

This grant is intended for use in renovating and upgrading the obsolete laboratory infrastructure of public sector agricultural research organisations.

The panel, in its report submitted to Parliament, has also reiterated that the total allocation for agricultural research and development should be raised to at least 1 per cent of the agricultural gross domestic product (AGDP) from less than 0.3 per cent (last 10 years' average) at present.

Advanced countries spend between 2.45 and 4.2 per cent of the AGDP on farm research. Even Sri Lanka and Latin American countries spend between 0.8 and 0.98 per cent of their AGDP for this purpose, it has pointed out.

The agriculture ministry's department of agricultural research and education (DARE) had asked the Planning Commission for a total Tenth Plan allocation of Rs 16,000 crore, including the one-time grant of Rs 1,000 crore.

However, the commission had approved only Rs 4,868 crore, though it subsequently enhanced it to Rs 5,368 crore by providing an additional Rs 500 crore for establishing new Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs). For 2004-05, the DARE had proposed an outlay of Rs 1,800 crore. However, it was allocated only Rs 1,000 crore.

The parliamentary committee "strongly deplored" the tendency of the Planning Commission and the finance ministry of imposing drastic cuts in budgetary demands, which can at times be as high as 55-60 per cent.

It has pointed out that huge and well-planned funding is vital to address the needs of all the important areas of agricultural research, development and education.

"Unfortunately, the Planning Commission and the finance ministry have been ignoring the genuine and pressing demands of the agriculture ministry to provide higher public funding," it said.

The panel has observed that a number of ICAR institutions and laboratories are over 20-years old and need upgradation of equipment, pilot plants and farm and laboratory facilities.

The state agricultural universities, too, need better classrooms and audio-visual facilities.

The panel said the problem of brain drain was linked with the environment in which ICAR scientists work.

"They are left to struggle with obsolete equipment, research tools and laboratories which gradually gives birth to work dissatisfaction and ultimately force the scientists to seek greener pastures where their creative urge and talent come to the fore and they get higher pay and other facilities," it stated.

It added that the government, as well as the people, had great expectations from agricultural scientists, and for this the government should provide funds and incentives to the ICAR to make it a real apex organisation and the hub of talented scientists.