National Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Programmes 2023

• 30th Annual General Body Meeting (AGM) of the Academy was held on June 05, 2023
• The Foundation Day Lecture was delivered on June 5, 2023 by Shri B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, IAS, Chief Executive Officer, NITI Aayog. Dr. Ramesh Chand was the Guest of Honour.
• Presidential Address deliverded by Dr. Himanshu Pathak, President, NAAS

Panel Discussions

Two Panel Discussions were organized as part of AGM programme instead of the scientific presentations by the Fellowship under the Chairmanship of Dr. Himanshu Pathak, President, and Co-chaired by Dr. Anil K. Singh, Vice President, NAAS.

• Panel Discussion I on “Road Map for Indian Agricultural Research, Education and Extension for Amrit Kaal 2047” was convened by Dr. P.K. Joshi, Former Director - South Asia, IFPRI. This served as a comprehensive platform to discuss the future trajectory of Indian agriculture. The amalgamation of insights from research, education, extension, and policy perspectives, presented by the esteemed panellists, will undoubtedly contribute to shaping the roadmap for Amrit Kaal 2047. The Agricultural Research segment featured valuable contributions from Dr. N.K. Singh of NRCPB, Dr. G. Taru Sharma from NIAB, Dr. H.P. Singh, Former DDG (H), ICAR, Dr. J.K. Jena of DDG (Fisheries),ICAR, Dr. N.K. Tyagi, Former Member ASRB, and Dr. V. Prakash, Former Director, CFTRI. Dr. R.C. Agrawal, DDG (Agril. Education), ICAR, shared significant insights into the realm of Agricultural Education. In the Agricultural Extension segment, Dr. Shaik N Meera from ATARI provided valuable perspectives. Lastly, the discussion on Agricultural Policies saw enlightening contributions from Dr. Pratap S. Birthal, Director, ICAR-NIAP and Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Director, ICAR-IASRI. Their collective expertise and recommendations provided a robust foundation for developing a roadmap for the advancement of agricultural sector in India.
• The II Panel Discussion on “Empowering SAUs to Meet the Emerging Challenges in Agriculture” was convened by Dr. K.M. Bujarbaruah, Former VC, AAU Jorhat & Vice President, NAAS.

The Panel Discussion II, featured prominent panelists from diverse agricultural domains. Dr. R.C. Agrawal, DDG (Agril. Education) ICAR, highlighted the crucial role of agricultural education in preparing SAUs for current challenges, emphasizing the need for innovative curriculum development. Dr. Ashok K. Singh, Director and VC, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi and Dr. Triveni Dutt, Director and VC, IVRI, Izatnagar, delved into research initiatives, advocating for collaborative efforts and interdisciplinary approaches. Additionally, insights from Dr. Anupam Mishra, VC, CAU, Imphal, Manipur and Dr. Inderjeet Singh, VC, GADUVASU, Ludhiana, emphasized the need for extension services and significance of tailored solutions. The session’s key highlights included discussions on veterinary and dairy research, technology transfer, and sustainable agriculture. The panelists’ consensus underscored the pivotal role of SAUs in addressing emerging agricultural challenges. The recommendations, guided by Dr. Bujarbaruah’s expertise, are anticipated to serve as a roadmap for SAUs in enhancing their capabilities and contributing effectively to India’s agricultural landscape.

Brainstorming Sessions/ Strategy Workshops/ Experts’ Meet

• Brainstorming Session on Agriculture in Harsh Environment: Challenges, Opportunities and Way forward was organized on under the Convenership of Dr. Rakesh K. Singh and Dr. Rod A. Wing on February 24, 2023.
• Expert Meet on Atmanirbhar Bharat National Clean Plant Programme – India was organized under the Convenership of Dr. V.K. Baranwal on April 3, 2023.
• Strategy Workshop on Food Safety Strategies for Indian Fisheries Sector was organized on Dr. G. Jeyasekaran on May 17, 2023.
• Brainstorming Session on Enhancing Agri-Infrastructure and Agri-Business Development through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in India was organized under the Convenership of Dr. Ch. Srinivasa Rao on May 25, 2023.
• Brainstorming Session on Bio-stimulant Guidelines was organized under the Convenership of Dr. P.K. Chakrabarty, and Dr. V. Chinnusamy on July 21, 2023.
• Expert Consultation on Ethics and Current State of Research Publication was organized under the Convenership of Dr. G. Taru Sharma on August 31, 2023.
• Brainstorming Session on Greening of Livestock and Poultry Sectors was organized under the Convenership of Dr. B.M. Naveena on September 1, 2023.
• Expert Consultation on Preparing for COP 28 from an Agriculture Perspective was organized under the Convenership of Dr. P.K. Aggarwal on September 25, 2023.
• Brainstorming Session on Prospects of dsRNA based Biopesticides for Crop Protection in Indian Agriculture was organized under the Convenership of Dr. B. Mandal on September 26, 2023.
• Strategy Workshop on Honey Bees: Harbinger for Sweet Revolution was organized under the Convenership of Dr. S.C. Dubey on September 29, 2023.
• Brainstorming Session on Multiple Uses of Solar Energy in Agriculture was organized under the Convenership of Dr. N.S.L. Srivastava on October 5, 2023.
• Brainstorming Session on Improving Soil Health was organized under the Convenership of Dr. B.S. Dwivedi on October 28, 2023.

Other Activities

• Lecture by Prof. Fredy Altpeter (University of Florida, USA) on the topic “ Towards Oilcane: Fueling the bioeconomy with metabolic engineering and gene editing of sugarcane, on August 31, 2023.
• An interactive meeting of the Professional Association of Agricultural Societies (PAAS) with National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) was organized by the Academy in hybrid mode on September 26, 2023 under the Chairmainship of Dr. Himanshu Pathak, President, NAAS. Sixty five participants representing 48 professional societies attended the meeting.
• Virtual Workshop in collaboration with World Food Prize Foundation on Millets for Food and Nutrition Security: Celebrating International Year of Millets, on October 17, 2023 under the Convenorship of Prof. Rajeev Varshney and Prof. K.C. Bansal.
• National Dialogue on International Year of Millets 2023 on the topic Developing Roadmap for Promotion Millets for Sustainable Agriculture on December 20, 2023, under the Chairmanship of the President, Dr. Himanshu Pathak with Prof. K.C. Bansal as Organizing Secretary. Conveners: Dr. O.P. Yadav, Dr. Ashok K. Singh and Dr. C. Tara Satyavathi.