To get youth interested in agriculture research, the Agriculture Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB) must undertake a special drive, noted farm scientist M.S. Swaminathan said on Friday.
He said there should be a special analysis of the gaps in regional-level research, particularly in northeastern and tribal areas “as was done in the past.”
Special recruitment drives should be undertaken by inducting young scientist graduates from such regions and “grooming them intensively.”
He suggested that farmer scientists should be profiled so that young scientists could interact with them as a learning process.
Instead of evaluating young scientists on a “score card” basis, it should be done on an “interactive evaluation process.”
He also asked the Board to set up an international cadre within the Agriculture Research Service for facilitating research in developing countries, particularly in Asia and Africa.
While assuring Dr. Swaminthan that his suggestions would be taken on board, ASRB chairman Gurbachan Singh emphasised the need to globally circulate the vacancies and even sensitise Indian scientists working abroad to return to India.
The focus now was on basic sciences, he said, stressing the need for integrating basic and social sciences in recruitment for agriculture research.
Last year, the Board cleared 759 recruitments in five months and managed to ‘tap’ about a dozen talented scientists working in the U.S. and Europe.
