ICAR governing body member seeks postponement of interviews for senior positions
A member of the Governing Body of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has sought intervention of the Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to defer all on-going and scheduled interviews for selection of scientists at various higher level posts until the next GB. He has also requested Chouhan to chair the next meeting of the ICAR Governing Body.
In a letter to the Minister, Venugopal Badaravada, who is a member of ICAR Governing Body, has said: “It has come to light that deliberate modifications to qualification criteria are being made, seemingly aimed at favouring specific individuals for key positions. These manipulative actions not only undermine the credibility of ICAR, but also tarnish its institutional integrity and betray the trust of the nation’s farmers, researchers and stakeholders.”
Demanding the postponement of all ongoing and scheduled Research Management Position (RMP) interviews across ICAR institutions, Badaravada said that these positions have a profound impact on the future of agricultural research and administration, and the ongoing selection process must be aligned with ICAR’s institutional vision and national priorities.
“The manipulation of recruitment criteria and the lack of transparency in recent processes have deeply compromised the integrity of ICAR,” he alleged.
Badaravada had earlier too written to Chouhan complaining about making changes in criteria to favour one particular scientist. He has also recently requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to select the next Director General of ICAR keeping in view the emergent needs of making the country self sufficient in oilseeds and pulses while focussing on indigenous varieties.
In his latest letter to Chouhan, he said that deferring the interviews are a necessary course of action to “allow for a thorough review of the ongoing selection processes, resolve existing issues and ensure the recruitment practices align with the principles of fairness, transparency, and institutional integrity.”
The GB Member has also cited the recent observations of President Droupadi Murmu and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar with regard to ICAR’s role in addressing farmers’ issues through research amid new challenges emerging in the sector.
