First Agricultural Students Cabinet

All India Agricultural Students Association

National Societies Block- A/G-4,

National Agriculture Science Centre (NASC) Complex,

Dev Prakash Shastri Marg, Pusa, New Delhi – 110012

Website: www.aiasa.co.in

No. 8-1/AIASA/2012                                                                                              Dated: 7^th April, 2012

First Agricultural Students Cabinet

Agricultural Students representing more than 55 Agricultural Universities including Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Dairy, Veterinary, Fishery  Forestry, Agricultural Engineering Universities have constituted a welfare Society for Agricultural students namely All India Agricultural Students Association (AIASA) under the Society Registration Act, 1860. Dr. M. S. Swaminathan, father of Indian Agriculture is its patron. It was formed on 8^th of January 2010. It received its registration on 1^st of December 2011. Till now an ad-hoc executive committee was looking after its affairs. The Association in its first Annual General Meeting held at New Delhi constituted 77 members Governing Body/Cabinet Members including 18 advisors. A notification for constitution of AIASA Cabinet has been issued on 4^th April, 2012.  Mr. Biswajit Mondal, PhD Student and former President of Post Graduate School Students Association, IARI, New Delhi has been elected National President, Mr. Nirmal Singh, PhD student from Punjab Agricultural University its General Secretary and Mr. Manjit Lad, PhD student as Chief Coordinator. Mr. Sanjay Patel, M. Sc Student from IGKVV, Raipur has been elected as Senior Vice President and Ms. Heena Rasool Mir, PhD student as Treasurer. There are 6 vice presidents, 6 Joint Secretaries representing each zone of the country (west, East, North-East, Central, South and North).  Besides, 41 University coordinators and 18 Advisors have been included in the Cabinet. Mr. Nirmal Singh, General Secretary has informed that with in 6 months all the Agricultural students of the concerned Universities will be registered on the roll of Association and thereafter one million students and agricultural professional will make awareness campaign in the farming community for adoption of latest technologies through seminar, meetings, group discussion etc and the representatives of AIASA will actively participate in the policy making body and will impress upon the government to implement the recommendations of various government appointed agricultural committees/commissions including National farmers Commissions Recommendations for betterment of farming communities.  The spokesperson of AIASA emphasized that there is a need for better coordination of Centre-State relationship on agriculture and it should immediately be brought under concurrent list. Instead of improving the condition of farmers and farming community, the condition is deteriorating day by day. The agricultural education standard is going down due to poor funding to agricultural Universities and many times it’s become difficult to pay the salary of the teachers what to talk of providing extension services to farmers and research laboratories.  There is no regulation about opening private colleges in agriculture and allied subjects. Recently, in a few states of India lots of private collages have cropped up without any standards. There is missing link between ICAR and agricultural development departments in Centre and States. The non agriculturalists are at the helm of affairs of agricultural developments and many of them are involved in corrupt practices such as the then Agriculture Secretary Ms. Tinu Joshi, IAS officer in MP who made Rs.360 crores. It is a need of the hour to take immediate steps for involving agricultural technical professionals in policy making and developmental programmes at every level. We ourselves call it agriculture based country but agricultural professional don’t have any say in agricultural policy making body or in implementation of agricultural development programmes. We have largest pool of agricultural research and education workers in Asia but there is no effective agricultural development, extension, trade due to lack of professional involvement. The AIASA will bring awareness in the entire agricultural community in the country for creation of all India Cadre of Indian Agricultural Service by having specialized cadres of Agricultural Research Service, Agricultural Education Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, Agricultural Development Service, Agricultural Marketing and Inspection Service on the pattern of developed countries for serving the farmers and nation. More than 50 farmers associations supported the activities of AIASA for immediate creation of all India Cadre of Indian Agricultural Service.

-Sd-

(Nirmal Singh)

General Secretary