Thursday, June 29 2006 17:16 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Government today (June 29,2006) approved a 250million dollar (nearly Rs 1,125 crore) National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) for fine tuning agricultural research in the country.

The six year project, involving a 200 milion dollar credit from the World Bank, would be implemented from July 1 this year, Information and Broadcating Minister P R Dasmunsi told reporters after a Cabinet meeting.

"The project would have four components including one in which the Indian Council of Agricultural Research would bethe catalysing agent for the management of change of the Indian National Agricultural System," the minister said.

The other components would be research in production and consumption systems, research on sustainable rural livelihood security and basic and strategic research in the frontier areas of agricultural sciences.

The decision would result in about 15 value chain development reports for serving as models for other potential areas and investment planning.

"It also aimed to produce about 20 sustainable rural livelihood models for replication in other disadvantaged areas and generation of about 25 patents of scientific and economic significance," Dasmunsi said.

About 100 research papers are also aimed to be published in high quality and impact research journals as part of the project.

In terms of Indian currency, the project cost would be about Rs 1,190 crore based on an exchange rate of Rs 46.24 per dollar.

Of this, Rs 685.86 crore is towards investment cost and Rs 504.13 crore towards recurrent cost.



The different components of the project would be implemented by a large network of public research institutions, private sector, NGOs and other stakeholders, said an official release.

Since the project would involve major management responsibility for the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) and ICAR, the former would be supported by core staff and need based consultants and contractual staff.

The release said the implementation of the NAIP would be highly participatory and decentralised one.

A broad array of National Agricultural Research System (NARS) clients and stakeholders including other relevant Ministries/Departments would be involved, the release said.

"The basic innovation in governance in the system is that the implementing consortia/institutions would be facilitated by the Project Implementation Unit to work with full freedom and accountability and without interfering controls of the project authority once they have entered into partnership and clear agreements with ICAR", it said.