Fill vacant posts immediately to improve farm education: Shivraj Singh Chouhan tells ICAR

New Delhi: Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday directed the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to immediately fill up vacant positions, which will improve farm education.

Addressing the National Agricultural Students' Conference, the Chouhan said that he would write to state chief ministers and discuss the issue with the agriculture ministers.

Chouhan also directed ICAR to form a team of agricultural students to seek constructive suggestions to address shortcomings. He called for healthy competition in grading agricultural universities and colleges, saying ICAR should study global best practices and implement them in the country.

A 2025 parliamentary committee report showed ICAR faces a significant shortage of sanctioned personnel across its institutes and universities, with 3,550 posts unfilled as of March 31, 2025. Most vacancies are in scientific, technical and administrative positions.

The committee expressed concern over delayed recruitments and recommended accelerated hiring through the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB).

To address operational challenges, ICAR was directed to fill at least 50 per cent of existing vacancies within 2025 and complete the remainder on a time-bound basis, emphasizing the need for regular instead of only contractual appointments.