NEW DELHI: At a time when the government is focusing on doubling of farmers income by bringing in various initiatives and strengthening the research activities in agriculture, over 1,000 posts of scientists and over 2,100 technical posts are lying vacant in government’s major research and education wing, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
Taking strong note of the matter, a parliamentary committee has in its recent report expressed displeasure and asked the government to fill the vacancies.
“The committee members are distressed to note that 1,060 posts of scientists and 2,128 technical posts are vacant in ICAR and its institutes as on date. And, such a large number of vacant positions of such prominent and crucial levels would have certainly affected the research activities in ICAR adversely,” said the report submitted by the committee recently in Parliament.
“The committee has taken a serious view of the matter and is dismayed to note as to how a premier research institute of the country like ICAR has worked for the last three years with more than 1,000 vacant posts of scientists,” it further said.
The committee was informed by the department concerned that reforms and restructuring in Agricultural Scientists and Recruitment Board was going on and hence no recruitment had been done for last three years. Now, the process had been completed and chairman and members of the Board appointed.
The committee hit out at the lackadaisical attitude of the department towards the recruitment of scientists. Directing that the recruitment for the vacant posts be done at the earliest, it sought to be apprised of the action.
The ICAR is the guiding and monitoring entity for the National Agriculture Research System consisting of 103 research and education institutes, 75 agricultural universities and 717 Krishi Vigyan Kendras spread across the country.