Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

About the Office

Governing Structure
– The Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare is the ex-officio President of the ICAR Society.
– The principal executive officer is the Secretary, DARE (Department of Agricultural Research & Education) who also serves as the Director General (DG), ICAR.
– There is a Governing Body which is the policy-making authority.
– ICAR has Deputy Directors-General, Additional Secretaries, Financial Advisors under its organizational structure.um dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Full Name & Status
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) — an autonomous organisation under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India.

History & Establishment
Originally formed as the Imperial Council of Agricultural Research, ICAR was established on 16 July 1929 under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, following the report of the Royal Commission on Agriculture.

Headquarters & Reach
Head office in New Delhi.
ICAR has a vast network: it includes research institutes, national research centres, directorates, project directorates, agricultural universities, etc.

Mandate / Functions
ICAR is the apex body for coordinating, guiding and managing agricultural research and education across India — covering horticulture, animal sciences, fisheries, natural resource management, agronomy, biotechnology, etc.
It undertakes basic, strategic, applied research; sets standards; supports technology development and transfer; capacity building; coordination of networks of research projects and institutes; monitoring and evaluation, etc.

Performance Metrics / Impact Indicators

While ICAR doesn’t always publish all metrics transparently in one place, typical indicators to look out for (and source via reports) include:

• Budget & Expenditure: Allocated vs actual spending
• Number of technologies / varieties released
• Adoption rate of technologies among farmers
• Number of training / capacity building sessions held
• Number of publications / patents / citations
• Area / number of farmers reached via extension / advisory services
• Institutions under ICAR and their outputs
• Impact case studies / beneficiary stories
• Awards, recognitions, external evaluations

You may have to pull these from annual report Annexures, institute reports, or RTI requests.

Who’s Who

Here are some key current (or recent) office-bearers and contacts from ICAR’s “Contact Us” pages:

Programmes / Schemes / Initiatives Under ICAR

Below are some key programmes and thematic initiatives run under ICAR. This is not exhaustive (there are many institute-level schemes), but useful for your portal:

• Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan (VKSA)
  A recent flagship campaign by ICAR to accelerate adoption of agricultural technologies among farmers. (ICAR publishes outcome booklets in its Reports section)
• Coordinated / Network Research Projects
  ICAR runs All India Coordinated Research Projects (AICRPs), network projects (on pest management, crop improvement, etc.) across its institutes and State Agricultural Universities.
• Digital & Advisory Services
  Seasonal agro-advisories, weather advisories, forecasting, extension support for farmers.
  Linkages to mKisan portal (via institutes). (Some individual ICAR institutes act as nodal for mKisan)
• Educational / Entrance / Accreditation Activities
  ICAR is involved in the counselling and admission to UG, PG, Ph.D. programmes in agriculture & allied sciences.
  National Agricultural Education Accreditation Board is linked with ICAR.

• Technology Transfer & Farmer Outreach
  Through extension, Kisan Mela, farmer–scientist interface, training, demonstration plots.
  Special schemes for women in agriculture (e.g. via ICAR-CIWA)
• Publications & Open Access Knowledge Dissemination
  Journals, e-books, technical bulletins, compendia, research reports.
• Institute-level Specialized Programmes
  Each ICAR institute (e.g. NBPGR, NRIIPM, IIRR, NBFGR, NDRI, etc.) runs its own projects, schemes, outreach.
  E.g. ICAR-NRIIPM (Integrated Pest Management) runs pest surveillance, IPM demonstrations

Digital Services & Portals

🎓 Admission / Counselling Portal

ICAR conducts national-level entrance examinations for admission to UG, PG, and Ph.D. programs in agriculture and allied sciences across India.

Portal: https://exams.nta.ac.in/ICAR/

Managed by NTA under ICAR guidance. Provides online forms, results, counselling schedules, and seat allotments.

📚 Publications / Open Access Portal

Access ICAR’s e-books, journals, bulletins, and annual reports.

Portal: https://icar.org.in/en/all-publications

Managed by DKMA to promote open knowledge sharing and transparency.

☎️ Telephone / Directory Portal

Official directory containing contacts of ICAR HQ, divisions, and institutes.

Portal: Download ICAR Telephone Directory 2025

🏛️ Institute Portals

• ICAR–IARI (Crop Research)
• ICAR–IASRI (Agri-Statistics)
• ICAR–NBPGR (Plant Genetics)
• ICAR–NBFGR (Fish Genetics)
• ICAR–NRIIPM (Pest Management)
• ICAR–NDRI (Dairy Research)
• ICAR–CIFA (Aquaculture)

📊 Data / Analytics Portals

• NBPGR Germplasm Database
• IASRI Agri-Statistics Database
• Monitoring & Evaluation Dashboards (Internal)

🛰️ Extension / Advisory Tools

• mKisan Portal – National Agri Advisory
• Kisan Call Centre: 1800-180-1551 (Toll-Free)
• Agro-Advisory Services via ICAR institutes and ATARIs
• Mobile apps for livestock, pest, and fisheries management

ICAR Beneficiaries – Full Explanation

ICAR’s beneficiaries extend beyond farmers — it supports the entire agricultural innovation ecosystem in India.

• 1. Farmers & Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs)
  • Primary beneficiaries of ICAR technologies — improved crop varieties, animal breeds, and farming methods.
  • Receive on-farm demonstrations, advisories, soil health inputs, pest management, and training through KVKs (Krishi Vigyan Kendras).
  • FPOs, SHGs, and cooperatives benefit via community-based interventions, seed hubs, and custom hiring centres.
  • Campaigns like Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan (VKSA) accelerate tech adoption and capacity building.
• 2. Researchers & Scientists
  • Access ICAR’s national network of research institutes, laboratories, and data repositories.
  • Participate in collaborative projects (AICRPs, network research, fellowships).
  • Benefit from grants, fellowships (JRF/SRF), and technical resources.
  • ICAR ensures high-quality peer-reviewed platforms for publishing innovations.
• 3. Students & Agricultural Universities
  • ICAR standardises curriculum, accreditation, and quality benchmarks for agri-education.
  • Conducts national entrance exams for UG, PG, and PhD (AIEEA, AICE-JRF/SRF).
  • Provides scholarships, fellowships, and career support in research and education.
  • Universities benefit from ICAR’s funding, infrastructure support, and training programmes.
• 4. Livestock & Fisheries Communities
  • ICAR institutes like NDRI, CIFE, CIRB, CIFA etc. develop animal breeds, feed formulations, vaccines, and aquaculture technologies.
  • Dairy farmers, fishers, and poultry producers benefit via productivity, disease control, and value-added product development.
• 5. Agri-entrepreneurs & Start-ups
  • Through incubation centres and technology licensing, ICAR enables start-ups and MSMEs to commercialise innovations.
  • Entrepreneurs gain access to tested technologies, patents, prototypes, and training for agribusiness ventures.
• 6. State Governments & Policy Makers
  • ICAR provides research inputs, data, and policy recommendations to ministries and states.
  • Its evidence-based studies guide crop planning, disaster management, and agri-climate policy.
• 7. Extension Workers & NGOs
  • ICAR trains field extension personnel under ATARIs and KVKs.
  • NGOs and rural development organisations use ICAR materials for community education.
• 8. Consumers & General Public
  • Indirectly benefit through better food security, nutrition, safety standards, and affordable produce.
  • ICAR’s work contributes to sustainability, reduced environmental impact, and resilient agriculture.
• Impact Summary (Beneficiary Reach)

how ICAR works (at a glance)

Mandate hub → research network → farmer impact → talent pipeline.

• Policy & Priorities
  • Government of India funds DARE → ICAR.
  • ICAR’s Governing Body sets annual priorities (productivity, climate resilience, seed quality, animal health, fisheries, post-harvest, AI/precision ag, etc.).
  • Priorities flow into Divisions (Crop, Horticulture, Animal, Fisheries, Engg., NRM, Extension, Education).
• Funding & Program design
  • ICAR allocates budgets to:
    • Institutes/Directorates/National Research Centres
    • All India Coordinated Research Projects (AICRPs) (multi-location trials across India)
    • ATARI & KVK network for extension
    • Education/Accreditation & competitive research grants
• R&D pipeline
  • Basic/strategic research → trait discovery, climate/soil/water solutions.
  • Variety/technology development → breeding, IPM, farm machinery, feed/fodder, vaccines, fish seed, value-addition.
  • Multi-location testing (AICRPs) → different agro-climates validate performance.
  • Release & notification → varieties/technologies cleared with data and standards.
• Extension & Adoption
  • ATARI (8 zones) guides 700+ KVKs (district-level farm science centres).
  • KVKs do on-farm trials, front-line demonstrations, trainings, advisories (including weather & market tips), input demos, and link to state departments/SAUs.
  • Campaigns (e.g., tech drives, seed replacement) accelerate adoption.
• Education & Accreditation
  • ICAR frames curriculum standards, accredits agri universities/colleges, and coordinates UG/PG/PhD admissions (through notified processes).
  • Scholarships, JRF/SRF, internships, and national talent programs build the human capital pipeline.
• Quality, Standards & Knowledge
  • ICAR sets protocols, testing standards, and publishes annual reports, technical bulletins, journals, e-books.
  • Open access resources and datasets support startups, state departments, and researchers.
• Measurement & Feedback
  • KPIs: varieties/technologies released, adoption rates, yields, farmers trained, publications/patents, KVK reach, budget utilization.
  • Evidence flows back into next-year priorities; successful pilots scale via Central/State schemes (e.g., seed/CHC/mechanization).

Contact & Feedback

• Head Office Address
  • Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi 110 001 Indian Council of Agricultural Research+1
• Head Office Contact
  • Phone: 91-11-23388991-9 (Office of DG / ICAR) Indian Council of Agricultural Research+2Indian Council of Agricultural Research+2
  • Email: dg.icar@nic.in
• Other Official Contacts
  • Additional Secretary (DARE) & Secretary (ICAR): Phone 91-11-23384450; Fax 91-11-23387293; Email: secy.icar@nic.in
  • Financial Advisor / Additional Secretary: Phone 91-11-23384360; Fax 91-11-23389388; Email: asfa.icar@gov.in
  • Chief Vigilance Officer: Phone: 23382375 Extn 528; Email: dirdare.icar@nic.in
  • Public Relations Officer: Phone: 91-11-25843301 (email not given)
• Institute-level Contacts (examples)
  • NBPGR (Pusa, New Delhi): Director: Dr. Gyanendra Pratap Singh; Phone: +91-11-25802781; Email: director.nbpgr@nic.in
  • NBFGR (Lucknow): Director: as per contact page; Phone: (0522) 2441735, 2440145; Email: director.nbfgr@icar.org.in
  • IIRR (Hyderabad): Address, contact, email: iirricar@allaboutgovschemesgmail-comNRIIPM: Dr. Raman Thangavelu (Director), Phone: 011-26303936, 20907410; Email: director.nriipm@icar.org.in
  • NDRI (National Dairy Research Institute): Director: Dr. Dheer Singh; Contact: +91-184-2252800/2259002; Email: director.ndri@icar.gov.in
• Feedback / Grievance / RTI
  • ICAR has a Chief Vigilance Officer and a Public Relations Officer (contact details above) for citizen grievances.

Feedback / Grievance / RTI

ICAR has a Chief Vigilance Officer and a Public Relations Officer (contact details above) for citizen grievances.

Q1. What is ICAR and what does it do?
A: ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) is India’s apex body for coordinating agricultural research, education, and extension. It promotes scientific innovations in agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, and allied sectors, and disseminates technologies to farmers.

Q2. How is ICAR different from the Ministry of Agriculture?
A: The Ministry frames policy, provides oversight and budgets; ICAR is an autonomous body that executes research, education, and extension tasks under DARE, supporting the Ministry’s goals.

Q3. Who heads ICAR?
A: The Union Agriculture Minister is ex officio President of the ICAR Society. The operational head is the Secretary, DARE, who doubles as the Director General (DG), ICAR. (Currently, Dr. Mangi Lal Jat is DG) Indian Council of Agricultural Research+1

Q4. How can one access ICAR’s reports and publications?
A: Through ICAR’s official website (Annual Reports, Other Reports, Publications section), and via institute portals (where many bulletins and journals are hosted).

Q5. What are ICAR’s flagship programmes?
A: VKSA (Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan) is a recent one. Also, networked projects (AICRPs), extension and advisory outreach, educational accreditation programmes are among its key initiatives.

Q6. How to apply for ICAR’s entrance exams (UG / PG / PhD)?
A: ICAR publishes counselling schedules and admission notices (for example, 2025-26 admissions) via its Notice Board. Students must follow official portals and deadlines. Indian Council of Agricultural Research

Q7. How does ICAR reach farmers / transfer technology?
A: Via extension services, linkages with KVKs (Krishi Vigyan Kendras), farmer–scientist interface, training, demonstrations, mobile advisories, partnerships with state agencies.

Q8. Which institutes are under ICAR?
A: Many — e.g. IARI, NBPGR, NBFGR, NRIIPM, NDRI, CIR­COT, IIRR, NBAGR, etc. Each institute has its own mandate and specialty.

Q9. How to contact ICAR / lodge complaints / request information?
A: Use the head office contacts (DG, Additional Secretary, PR Officer), or institute contacts. For grievances, approach the Chief Vigilance Officer. Use RTI if needed.

Q10. How is ICAR’s performance measured?
A: By indicators like technology adoption rates, number of released varieties, publications, extension reach, budget use, case studies, etc. These are often in annual reports.