Agriculture scientists don’t want bureaucrat as job panel head
In a letter to the PM, they say appointing a bureaucrat will lead to regular interference in the process of talent search
The country’s top agriculture scientists have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi opposing any move to appoint a bureaucrat as chairman of the Agricultural Scientist Recruitment Board (ASRB).
In the letter written last month, scientists under the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) said that any move to appoint a bureaucrat instead of a career scientist as head of the ASRB will end its autonomy and lead to interference in talent search.
“It will be disastrous for agriculture sciences and impact research,” said Panjab Singh, President of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) and chancellor of RLB Central Agriculture University, Jhansi.
The ASRB is the main body for recruitment of agriculture scientists in the country.
Constituted in 1973, the ASRB has been instrumental in appointment of scientists in all major agriculture institutes and universities in the country and also to build a cadre of farm scientists.
ASRB also conducts an All-India level Preliminary examination for recruitment of Scientists every year in 55 different disciplines of agricultural sciences.
The scientists claimed that so far, ASRB has recruited over 95,000 personnel in different categories and so far it has not lost a single case against any of its recommendations, which speaks volumes of the transparency in its functioning.
ASRB has a chairman and two full-time members appointed from among the scientific community. However, since the last few years, it is operating without a full-time chairman and one member.
“Since the last 45 years, never has a bureaucrat headed ASRB. So, we feel that someone who doesn’t know science and is not aware of the nuances of agriculture sciences should not be allowed to judge scientists,” Singh added.
He said the ICAR Governing Council and even a government appointed committee under former secretary of Directorate of Agricultural Research (DARE), R S Paroda to review the functioning of ASRB under hasn’t said anything about changing the composition of the ASRB.
Instead, it asked for strengthening the recruitment board so as to enable selection of high quality individuals for agriculture research.
Noted scientist Deepak Pental said that entire concept looks flawed, adding how can someone even think of appointing a non-scientist to head a scientists’ recruitment panel.
He said a career bureaucrat, who even has a knowledge of science, won’t be able to do justice as agricultural sciences is a specialised field of branches and sub- divisions like animal husbandry, among others.
“We want to appeal to the government and the people to save agriculture sciences in India because science is the bedrock of the government’s aim to double farmers income by 2022,” RB Singh, former chairman of the ASRB said.
The government hasn’t responded to the allegations and did not confirm whether there is move to change the composition of the ASRB.
PTI added quoting unnamed sources that a Cabinet proposal has been moved to widen the eligibility criteria for appointment of Chairman of the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB) as part of the government plan to reform the Board.
According to the Union Agriculture Ministry's proposal, both agri- scientists and even IAS officers can apply for the post of ASRB chairman, they added.