HYDERABAD, SEPTEMBER 01, 2026: “Institutional partnership and transition from researchers to leadership is the need of the hour in the present national agricultural research management scenario,” said Padma Bhushan Dr. R. S. Paroda, Former DG, ICAR. He was the Chief Guest at the 51st Foundation Day celebrations of ICAR-NAARM held today at the Academy. He delivered the inaugural Dr. K. V. Raman Memorial Lecture and underscored the need for NAARM to transition from an institution focused primarily on training researchers to one dedicated to nurturing and developing leaders. Dr. Paroda highlighted the importance of teamwork, discipline, systems thinking, and a strong culture of continuous internal transformation, emphasizing that sustainable and meaningful change must be driven from within the institution.
Dr. Paroda suggested strengthening NAARM’s alumni network and expanding MoUs with academies and universities, including opportunities for South–South cooperation. Looking ahead, he outlined five key areas for NAARM’s future roadmap: (1) agricultural leadership development, including cadre review and induction of management professionals; (2) establishment of an ICAR Foresight Centre drawing on available resources; (3) scaling innovation from ideas to proof of concept and IPR; (4) promoting responsible digital agriculture; and (5) strengthening impact assessment of agricultural science. He emphasized that these priorities would help NAARM enhance its contribution to society and strengthen its role as a leading institution for agricultural leadership and capacity development.
Dr. Mangi Lal Jat, Secretary (DARE) & DG, ICAR, emphasized the need for the Academy to develop human capital with technical skills, digital literacy, and managerial expertise through strategic investment in human capital. He stressed that NAARM’s core focus should be on management, capacity-building needs, and institutional development. Reflecting on the Academy’s 50 years of existence, he called for an assessment of its impact and strengthened collaboration with national Academies, Agricultural Universities, and Central Agricultural Universities. He highlighted the urgent need to cultivate leadership and systematically assess capacity-building requirements across the agricultural ecosystem. Dr. Jat further emphasized developing an industry-ready workforce through regular curriculum review and revision, and creating comprehensive training and expert databases for wider institutional use. He called on NAARM to conduct demand-driven training and data-backed capacity building to support the transition towards value-driven and sustainable agri-food systems.
Dr. Yashpal Singh Malik, DDG (Education), ICAR, while addressing the gathering online, appreciated the efforts of the Academy in addressing emerging and contemporary areas, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), MOOCs, and the development of a digitally enabled learning ecosystem. He emphasized the need to further strengthen leadership development and capacity-building initiatives. He also appreciated the a-IDEA agribusiness incubation facility of NAARM, and its target of creating 100 successful startups to promote agri-entrepreneurship.
Dr. R. M. Sundaram, Director, NAARM, presented the Academy’s 50-year journey, key achievements, and future roadmap in tune with the theme “Agricultural Entrepreneurship for Viksit Bharat@2047”. Earlier, Dr. Gopal Lal, Jt Director, NAARM, welcomed the gathering.
On the occasion, several publications, policy papers on resilient agriculture and 5G-powered farming, and technical reports were released. The “Farmers Vault” portal and “NAARM Library” App were also launched to improve knowledge access and strengthen last-mile connectivity. The celebrations also marked the special recognition of outstanding institutional and field-level contributions by scientific, technical, administrative, and finance staff through certificates of appreciation and awards. Dr. Ramasubramanian V., Organizing Secretary and Head, RSM Division, NAARM, proposed a vote of thanks. NAARM staff, former Directors and Jt. Directors of NAARM, Hyderabad-based ICAR institution heads, Vice-Chancellors of Agricultural, Horticultural and Veterinary Universities, NAARM project staff, and PGDM-ABM students attended the Golden Jubilee Foundation Day celebrations.
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