ICAR member urges Modi to appoint visionary chief

New Delhi, Jan 5 (PTI) A member of the country's top agricultural research body ICAR on Sunday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to appoint a new director general with global expertise to revitalise the organisation ahead of the current chief's retirement next month.
     Venugopal Badaravada, a member of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research's (ICAR) Governing Body, said the leadership transition presents an opportunity to reform the organisation amid allegations of corruption, nepotism and recruitment irregularities.
     The current Director General Himanshu Pathak is set to retire in February.
     Badaravada urged bringing in leadership from outside ICAR to drive systemic reforms and enhance transparency.
     In a statement, Badaravada, who has served on advisory panels for national livestock and cattle breeding missions, requested to join the search committee for the new director general.
     He criticised ICAR's "leadership gaps and strategic oversight" since 2014, saying the body has focused heavily on rice cultivation while neglecting pulses, oilseeds and indigenous crop varieties crucial for food security and self-sufficiency.
     The excessive focus on genetically modified seeds has hampered efforts to preserve indigenous varieties and develop climate-resilient crops, Badaravada said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)