ICAR, governing body members in bitter war of words over key appointments

With the current Director General of ICAR set to retire in February 2025, Badaravada described the transition as a "golden chance" to reform the organisation

Venugopal Badaravada, who is a governing-body member of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) and has pitted himself against the organisation on various matters, has now picked a dispute with the outfit on high-level appointments.

 

Badaravada, who belongs to Eluru district, Andhra Pradesh, is a votary of economics surrounding the cow and has been working for the preservation and promotion of Zebu cattle breeds for long.

 

In his latest spat with the ICAR, he alleged a few days ago there had been lapses in the appointment of the new director of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), which is an affiliate body of the ICAR.

   

Badaravada, in his letter to Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, also called for immediately stopping appointments of high-level research positions at the ICAR, alleging connivance between officials and appointees, and a change in the selection criteria.

 

The ICAR rejected the allegations, stating they were “factually incorrect” and “misleading”.

 

The body said no changes were made to the essential qualifications for the IARI director’s position, according to an official statement issued by the agriculture ministry.

 

The current requirements match those used when previous director A K Singh, who retired in June, was appointed in 2019, it said.

 

Regarding the appointment of Cherukumalli Srinivasa Rao as IARI director, the ICAR said he previously served as director of the National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM), Hyderabad.

 

The organisation stated his transfer followed proper procedures, with formal relief from his NAARM position preceding his assumption of the IARI role.

 

The ICAR has asked for a public apology from him.

 

Badaravada said: “Instead of addressing the root causes of these issues, the organisation appears focused on shielding or defending the indefensible acts of the individuals and insisting on maintaining the status quo.”

 

He also said established rules were skirted to appoint key research positions in the ICAR and IARI, and some top scientists in the council got their positions by “forging” documents.

 

He was appointed member of the ICAR governing body in 2023 for a three-year term. He has also served as central advisory member of the Rashtriya Gokul Mission.

 

Badaravada since then took up a number of issues concerning the livestock economy, writing to the President and Prime Minister about the doings in various bodies.

 

In September, Badaravada, in a letter to President Draupadi Murmu, alleged the Tirupathi “laddo” controversy was due to wrongdoing on the part of three executives of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in connivance with officials in the Ministry of Animal Husbandry.

 

In August, Badaravada alleged the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) stopping the use of A1 and A2 labels in dairy products could jeopardise “consumer choice” and the future of indigenous cattle breeds.

 

The FSSAI withdrew the order, which had directed milk companies to stop using such labels.

 

In October, he wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking for appointments of agri-scientists as attaches in Indian embassies in G20 countries to help achieve the target of becoming a developed nation by 2047.

 

He also called for reforming the ICAR and agriculture education in the country because young scientists and research scholars were facing “frustration” and “lack of confidence”.

 

He also said with the director general of the ICAR demitting office in February, this was a chance to reform the premier body.