ICAR Addresses Allegations of Irregularities in Agri-Scientist Hiring

ICAR Rejects Allegations of Irregularities in Recruitment Process
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research, India’s premier agricultural research organization, rejected on Monday claims recently raised about irregularities in the appointment process of agricultural scientists and the Director position in the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, IARI. In a statement released on Monday, the ICAR characterized the claims as “factually incorrect” and “misleading.”

This is after Venugopal Badaravada, the member of the ICAR Governing Body, put pleas to investigate into the recruitment process of which, particularly regarding the selection procedure of the new IARI Director, is a case in itself. The plea put by Badaravada threw a light on his concerns in the transparency of the selection procedure.

It was clarified that the process of recruitment in question strictly complied with all the qualification criteria already approved for such recruitments. The essential qualification requirements for a Director in IARI remained the same; it was not altered whatsoever. The qualifications, which are in place today, are those that were in place during his appointment as IARI Director in the year 2019. Singh’s retirement date coincided with June 2024, thereby making him eligible for a successor.

The only controversy was that of the newly appointed IARI Director, who is Cherukumalli Srinivasa Rao. To clear the matter, ICAR issued a statement claiming that Rao was formerly the Director of the National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad and has been transferred to IARI to hold this job. The organisation also informed that the transfer was a process based procedure. As a procedure, proper relief at the job held at NAARM was taken first before accepting the job at IARI.

ICAR also dismissed allegations levelled against the recruitment process adopted by the organization for scientific posts. The council stated that within the last five years, no attempt was made to alter the requirement of any scientific post of the organization. The organization said it has been transparent and adhered to the guidelines given by the government throughout the entire recruitment process.

The ICAR denied all allegations of irregularity and said that rumors and claims regarding the recruitment process are being circulated by “disgruntled elements” with vested interests in them. It demanded an apology, saying facts were misreported and distorted to create unnecessary controversy.

The agriculture ministry further restates this position by ICAR when it stated that the recruitment and appointment of scientists and appointment of directors were done on the established procedures and the guidelines followed. It therefore emphasized that such practices remained consistent with previous appointments but were not subject to change:.

The clarification by ICAR comes at a very interesting time when questions relating to transparency and fairness in the recruitment processes of all government agencies are beginning to emerge. Well, in as much as that is the case, however, ICAR points out that the appointments were carried out with due diligence and in all respects in compliance with all laws and regulations.

It is indeed more critical in the controversy over the appointment of the IARI Director because IARI happens to be one of the premier institutions for agricultural research in the country, and the leadership at IARI becomes indispensable for charting the course of policy and research in agriculture for the nation. So it is not just an important decision of appointing Rao but also received flak for a lack of clarity over the recruitment process.

Conclusion-ICAR rejects outright the mischaracterizations that some anomalies of the recruitment process of agricultural scientists said to have a share in the selection process of the IARI Director. The statement the body made underlined the fact that all its appointments, such as that of the new IARI Director, were made on guidelines of proper qualifications and procedure. ICAR claims it adhered strictly to the established standards during the recruitment process despite controversies and questions arising about the recruiting process.