Indian Agricultural Institute Golden Jubilee Fest!

Celebrating a Golden Jubilee is not a very simple joy, in-fact it is an dream come true of hard-work and success. The Golden Jubilee of Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Delhi was addressed by the Prime Minister, Dr.Manmohan Singh.

On the occasion which was held on Monday the 20th Feb the PM addressed his message as “I am delighted to participate in the Golden Jubilee convocation of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. I congratulate all those students who are receiving their degrees today, particularly those who are being recognized for their outstanding achievements. I wish them all the very best in their future pursuits.

Now it looks as if agricultural growth is likely to be about 3.5% per annum during the 11th Five Year Plan which is much better than in the 10th Five Year Plan. This is a commendable achievement but we must improve upon it in the Twelfth Plan to reach 4% growth or even higher. This will call for very determined effort on the part of both the central government and the state provision of marketing support etc.. One of the key elements in that effort must be the contribution of agricultural research and I would like to use this opportunity to focus on this area.

Looking beyond the application of known technology, our farm economy needs greater injection of science and a knowledge-based approach to increasing incomes and productivity while also allowing a significant reduction in water use per unit of agricultural output. This depends critically upon the health and validity of our agricultural research system, centering on the ICAR system and state agricultural universities. We owe a great deal to our scientists for what we have achieved in the past. It is due to the dedicated work of our agricultural scientists that we were able to overcome those constraints.

However, the National Agricultural Research System needs to be further strengthened to meet the challenges of the years ahead. One requirement of this is the adequacy of financial resources. He also said; I was a student like many of you here, in the difficulty years of the 1940's and 0950's. Times have changed and we have overcome the fears that plagued our nation at that time. I wish each one of you well in your chosen careers and I have no doubt that you will make a major contribution in creating the new green revolution in the years that lie ahead. May your path be blessed”.