Programmes - 2020

Foundation Day Programme: On the occasion of its Foundation Day on June 5, 2020, the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) organized a virtual panel discussion on Covid 19 Pandemic: Impact and New Normal in Agriculture. The deliberations were on discussing the consequences of the Covid-19 crisis on agriculture and the technological and policy solutions for sustaining post-pandemic agricultural growth. The panel discussion was convened by Dr. P.K. Joshi and Dr. P.S. Birthal. It was co-chaired by Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, President NAAS and Dr. Mangala Rai, former President, NAAS.

Scientific Presentations by Fellowship: The presentations made by 29 newly elected Fellows including 2 Pravasi Fellows and 2 Foreign Fellows highlighting their accomplishments online during June 22-25, 2020 and on July 21, 2020 are as follows: Frontiers in Soybean Trait Discovery and Genetic Improvement for Food Security and Health by Dr. Henry T. Nguyen; Crop Physiology, Modelling and Systems Research by Dr. P. Carberry; India’s Agricultural Policy – Shifting Focus from Food to Nutrition Security by Dr. Prabhu L. Pingali; Advancing Thermal and Non-thermal Technologies for Food Processing by Dr. R.K. Singh; Conventional and Molecular Breeding in Crop Plants for Food and Nutritional Security by Dr. Pawan Kumar Agrawal; Genetic Improvement of Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) by Dr. Govindakurup Hemaprabha; Ensuring Food and Feed Security through Wheat and Barley Improvement in Northern Hills Zone by Dr. Lakshmi Kant; Genetic Improvement of Wheat and Barley for North-Western Himalayan Region of India by Dr. Dharam Pal; GM Diagnostics: Meeting a Challenge by Dr. (Mrs) Gurinderjit Randhawa; Introgression of Novel Genes in Developing Improved Multiple Disease Resistant Indian Wheat Cultivars and Genetic Stocks by Dr. Murugasamy Sivasamy; Exploring Novel Genes in Cucurbits for Enhancing Vegetable Productivity by Dr. Dangar Ram Bhardwaj; Significant Achievement in Improvement of Cucumber and Gourds through Conventional and Molecular Approaches by Dr. Anilabha Das Munshi; Conventional and Genomic Crop Improvement Approaches in Spices by Dr. D. Parasath; Enteric Methane Estimation and Amelioration by Dr. Raghavendra Bhatta; Development of Biosensors for Monitoring Food Safety & Quality Assurance in Dairy Industry by Dr. Naresh Kumar; Discovery of a Novel Genus and Species of Anaerobic Rumen Fungi by Dr. Anil Kumar Puniya; Sensitive Advanced Approaches for Diagnosis of Surra in Animals by Dr. Pinaki Prasad Sengupta; Proteomics Applications in Fisheries and Aquaculture by Dr. Bimal Prasanna Mohanty; Development of Farm Level Diagnostics and Novel Oral Vaccines for Aquaculture by Dr. Kalkuli M. Shankar; Accelerating Forest Biodiversity – Agriculture Interface Research for Natural Resource Management by Dr. Saroj Kanta Barik; Designing Novel Inter-cropping Systems for Managing Weeds in Rainfed Cotton by Dr. Desouza Blaise; Engineered Biochar – A Smart and Sustainable Solution to Biomass Burning, Soil Management, Food Security, Water Purification and Climate Change Mitigation by Dr. Dinesh Mohan; Giving Waste a Second Chance : Its Prospects and Concerns by Dr. Rajeev Pratap Singh; Regaining the Agricultural Potential of Sodic Soils through Agronomic and Soil Manipulation Measures by Dr. Yash Pal Singh; Modulation and Demodulation of Photosynthesis with Robust Nanotools: Marking One Decade of Application in Agricultural Crops by Dr. Arunava Goswami; Dry Root Rot of Chickpea: the Pathogen, Mechanisms of Plant Defense and Avenues for Crop Protection by Dr. Muthappa Senthil-Kumar; Beneficial Microbes for Sustainable Agriculture by Dr. Mahendrakar Sreenivasa Rao; Understanding Microbial Interactions, Microalgal Bio-harvesting and Microbial Systems Biology for Sustainable Agriculture by Dr. Pratyoosh Shukla; Sustainable Water Resources Management in India by Dr. Madan Kumar Jha; Precision Irrigation for Higher Productivity and Resource Conservation by Dr. (Ms) Neelam Patel; Economics Tools and Systems Approaches for Impactful Interventions for Transforming Agri-food Systems and Farm Livelihoods by Dr. Shalander Kumar; Computer Intensive Statistical Techniques and Data Mining Tools for Agricultural Research and Development by Dr. Anil Rai; Designing Robust Frontline Extension Mechanisms for Enhancing Outreach and Empowering Stakeholders by Dr. Ashok Kumar Singh.

The 27th Annual General Body Meeting (AGM) of the Academy was convened virtually on August 13, 2020 under the Chairmanship of Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, President of the Academy. The AGM was graced by Past Presidents, Past Vice Presidents, office bearers and more than 200 fellows and associates of the Academy. By virtue of the authority vested, the President NAAS, admitted 29 Fellows, 2 Foreign Fellows, 3 Pravasi Fellows and 11 Associateships. Dr. T. Mohapatra, President of the Academy delivered the Presidential address on Catalyzing Enhanced Contribution of Agriculture to National Economy: Refining the Engagement of NAAS.

Brainstorming Sessions/ Strategy Workshops/ Experts’ Meet

• Experts’ Meet on Seed Policy (Convener: Dr. D.K. Yadava) was organized on February 3, 2020. = Experts’ Meet on Pesticide Management Bill-2017 (Convener: Dr. B.S. Parmar) held on February 6, 2020.
• Roundtable Discussion on Regulatory Framework and Guidelines for Risk Assessment of Genome Edited Organisms (Convener: Dr. N.K. Singh) was organized on February 6, 2020.
• Experts’ Meet on Direct Benefit Transfer under Nutrient-based Subsidy Regime (Convener: Dr. B.S. Dwivedi) was organized on March 11, 2020.
• Panel Discussion on COVID 19: Impacts and New Normal in Agriculture (Conveners: Dr. P.K. Joshi and Dr. P.S. Birthal) held on June 5, 2020.
• A Brain Storming Session on Potential of Non-bovine Milk (Convener: Dr. M.S. Chauhan) was organized June 29, 2020.
• A Brain Storming Session on Strategies for Enhancing Soil Organic Carbon for Food Security and Climate Action (Conveners: Dr. Ch Srinivasa Rao and Dr. A.K. Singh) was organized on August 21, 2020.
• A Brain Storming Session on Anti Microbial Resistance (Convener: Dr. A.K. Srivastava) was organized on August 29, 2020.
• A Brain Storming Session on Revision of BD Act, Rules and Guidelines (Convener: Dr. Kuldeep Singh) was organized on September 1, 2020.
• A Brain Storming Session on Sugarcane based Ethanol Production for Sustainable fuel Ethanol Blending Programme (Convener: Dr. Bakshi Ram) was organized on September 18, 2020.
• A Brain Storming Session on One World One Health (Convener: Dr. A.K. Srivastava) was organized on September 19, 2020.
• A Brain Storming Session on Food, Agriculture and Income Policy for the Five Trillion Economy (Convener: Dr. Suresh Pal) was organized on October 14, 2020.
• A Brain Storming Session on Transforming Higher Agricultural Education in India (Convener: Prof. R.B. Singh) was organized on October 20, 2020.
• A Brain Storming Session on Innovations in Potato Seed Production and Its Adoption (Convener: Dr. S.K. Chakrabarty) was organized on October 27, 2020.
• A Brain Storming Session on Wastewater Utilisation in Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture (Convener: Dr. J.C. Dagar) was organized on November 17, 2020.
• A Brain Storming Session on Need for Breeding Tomatoes Suitable for Processing in India (Convener: Dr. A.T. Sadashiva) was organized on November 24, 2020.
• A Brain Storming Session on Recent Agricultural Market Reforms was jointly organized by National Academy of Agricultural Sciences and ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research on December18, 2020. The main objective of the Brain Storming Session was to discuss the initiatives taken by the Government of India to boost agricultural sector in the present post Covid 19 situation.
• A Brain Storming Session on Emergency Preparedness for Prevention of Transboundary Infectious Diseases in Indian Livestock and Poultry (Convener: Dr. Parimal Roy) was organized on December 19, 2020.