ICAR’s Role in Agriculture Highlighted in Lok Sabha; No Plan for Separate Statutory Body for Higher Education!

The Lok Sabha today discussed the responsibilities and mandate of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), reaffirming its pivotal role in India’s agricultural and allied sectors.

During the session, MP Vishnu Datt Sharma asked Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan about ICAR’s scope and whether a separate statutory body for higher education in agriculture is under consideration.

ICAR’s Mandate and Structure

Responding to the query, Shri Chouhan stated that ICAR is an autonomous body under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE). Its core functions include:

• Research, technology development, and innovation for sustainable agriculture.

• Coordinating and promoting agricultural education to develop skilled human resources.

• Extension activities for knowledge dissemination and frontline technology application.

• Policy support, cooperation, and consultancy in agricultural research, education, and extension.

ICAR oversees a vast institutional network of 113 research institutes, organized into eight subject divisions:

• Crop Science – 28 institutes

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• Horticulture Science – 22

• Animal Science – 19

• Natural Resource Management – 16

• Agricultural Extension – 12

• Fisheries Science – 8

• Agricultural Engineering – 6

• Agricultural Education – 2

No Separate Body for Higher Education

The Minister clarified that there is no current proposal to establish an independent statutory body for higher education in agriculture and allied sciences.

Instead, under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, a General Education Council (GEC) and sectoral committees such as ICAR will serve as Professional Standard Setting Bodies (PSSBs). These committees will be responsible for setting academic standards and ensuring coordination between teaching, research, and extension in their domains.

Conclusion

The discussion reinforced ICAR’s central role as a comprehensive body for agricultural research, education, and extension in India, with no plans to create a separate higher education authority in the field.