Shruti Suman
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) established the Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Zone-IV in Patna on August 19, 2015, and its full-fledged operations began in April 2017. The main function of this office is the implementation, evaluation, and funding of activities of agricultural science centers in the region.
There are a total of 68 agricultural science centers under the jurisdiction of the Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Zone-IV, in the states of Bihar and Jharkhand. This includes 44 agricultural science centers in Bihar and 24 in Jharkhand. Within the State Agricultural Universities, there are 23 agricultural science centers under Bihar Agricultural University and 17 under Central Agricultural University. Additionally, under Birsa Agricultural University in Jharkhand, there are 17 agricultural science centers operational. Apart from these, there are 4 centers under various institutes of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and 8 centers under non-governmental organizations.
To effectively expand the services of this institution, various major research projects have been successfully implemented through agricultural science centers to enhance its reach. These projects encompass advanced cropping techniques for pulses and oilseeds, climate-resilient agriculture innovations, scheduled caste applications, indigenous community applications, expansion of organic farming, farmer-first initiatives, agricultural drone projects, rural agricultural weather services, water conservation campaigns, and more. Additionally, the ambitious climate-resilient agriculture scheme of the Bihar state is also being successfully executed through all agricultural science centers.
During its short tenure, this institution has achieved numerous accomplishments, including the recognition of several agricultural science centers. These accolades comprise the Nari Shakti Award by His Excellency the President, 3 centers receiving the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Award for the best agricultural science centers, 9 centers honored with the Jagjivan Ram Abhinav Kisan Award, 6 centers recognized with the ICAR Novodaya Kisan Award, 1 center acknowledged under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, and 10 farmers bestowed with the Mahindra Samriddhi Award. Furthermore, esteemed citizens have been honored with the prestigious “Padma Shri” award, including Shrimati Rajkumari Devi (Kisan Chachi) from Munger, Shri Jamuna Tudu (Lady Tarzan) from Singhbhum, and Shri Simon Oraon Minj (Waterman of Jharkhand) from Bero Ranchi.
On the occasion of the Foundation Day, several entrepreneurs from Bihar and Jharkhand were honored. Dr. Anjani Kumar, the Director of the center, welcomed the esteemed guests and briefed them about the activities and achievements of the center. The chief guest of the event, Dr. A. K. Singh, Vice-Chancellor of Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi, and former Deputy Director-General of Agricultural Extension at ICAR, New Delhi, delivered an inaugural address and lecture during the inauguration session. In his address, the chief guest provided suggestions to farmers on adopting the latest techniques, climate-resilient agriculture in changing environments, diversification in agriculture, and generating agricultural employment opportunities for rural youth. He emphasized the need for agricultural science centers to provide comprehensive information to farmers in one place and continuously focus on increasing the income of farmers. Agriculture Joint Secretary, Mr. Anil Kumar Jha, also shared his insights in the interest of farmers during this event. The directors of various institutions under the ICAR also expressed their thoughts on this occasion.
During the second session, a dialogue between scientists and farmers and a farmers’ gathering was organized, in which scientists provided solutions to agricultural-related issues faced by the farmers. In this session, Dr. R. K. Sohane, Dr. M. S. Kundu, Dr. J. Oraon, Dr. A. K. Thakur, Dr. Ujjwal Kumar, Dr. Manubrullah, and Dr. Abhay Kumar, Dr. Amarendra Kumar, Dr. Pragya Bhadauria, and others participated. The session was moderated by Dr. Pragya Bhadauria, and the vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. Amarendra Kumar, Chief Scientist at the Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Zone-IV.
