ICAR-RCER, Patna Celebrates 26th Foundation Day with a focus on NRM Roadmap towards Viksit Bharat

22 February 2026, Patna

ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, celebrated its 26th Foundation Day today with great enthusiasm, reaffirming its dedication to strengthening agricultural science and improving farmers’ livelihoods across eastern India.

The Chief Guest, Dr. A. K. Nayak, Deputy Director General (Natural Resource Management), ICAR, applauded the scientists and staff of the institute for their 25 years of dedicated contributions to agricultural research and technology development.

In his inspiring Foundation Day address on ‘Agricultural Research Roadmap on Natural Resource Management for Viksit Bharat @2047,’ Dr. Nayak outlined a comprehensive strategy to strengthen natural resource management research in alignment with the national vision of Developed India @2047. He emphasized key priorities such as achieving land degradation neutrality, promoting carbon credit mechanisms, ensuring smart water management techniques, attaining self-reliance in fertilizers and plant nutrients, conserving biodiversity and development of climate-resilient and biofortified crop varieties, among other critical focus areas.

Dr. Anup Das, Director, ICAR-RCER, Patna, highlighted the institute’s pivotal role in achieving agricultural sustainability in eastern India. He emphasized strategic interventions including greening rice fallow areas through resource conservation measures, diversification  rice and promotion of location and ecosystem specific integrated farming system models and climate resilient agriculture to enhance food and nutritional security, risk mitigation; technologies for smart water management to improve water-productivity and fruit-based multi-story systems for year-round employment and rehabilitation of degraded lands. He further stated that towards food security and biodiversity conservation, the institute has released 85 varieties of field and horticultural crops and registered six indigenous breeds of cattle, chicken, goat and ducks.

Other dignitaries included, Shri D.P. Tripathi, Director, BAMETI, Govt of Bihar congratulated the Institute and appreciated its contribution and collaboration towards agricultural development for the state of Bihar. Dr. Anjani Kumar, Director ATARI, Patna; Dr. S.K. Purbey, Director, ICAR-MGIFRI, Motihari; Dr. A.K. Singh, Director Research, BAU, Sabour; and Dr. R.K. Jat, Senior Agronomist, BISA addressed the gathering and reaffirmed their commitment towards agricultural development of the region.

Earlier, Dr. Nayak visited the institute’s Sabajpura and main campus experimental fields including smart water management models, long term conservation agriculture and agroforestry trials, IFS, livestock farms, breeding trials, etc, interacted with scientists and offered valuable suggestions for further improvement.

One of the major attractions of the event was Innovative Farmers’ Meet which witnessed participation of farmers from 11 eastern and northeastern states. The major attractions of the event was felicitation of the innovative farmers, media personnel and outstanding employees of the institute by the chief guest. Further, to strengthen technology commercialization and dissemination, five MoUs were signed and five publications were released.

About 650 participants with more than 350 farmers attended the celebration.

(Source: ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna)