The Union
Cabinet today gave its approval to the National Agricultural Innovation Project
(NAIP).
The Project would be of four components, viz. (i)
ICAR as the catalyzing agent for the management of change of the Indian National Agricultural Research
System; (ii) Research on production to consumption systems; (iii) Research on
sustainable rural livelihood security; and
(iii)
Basic and Strategic research
in the frontier areas of agricultural sciences.
The different components of the Project would be
implemented by a large network of
Public research institutions,
Private sector, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and other
stakeholders. Since the Project
implementation would involve major management responsibility for the Indian Council of Agricultural
Research/Project Implementation Unit-National Agricultural Innovation Project
(ICAR/PIU-NAIP), the PIU will have core staff supported by need based
consultants and contractual staff.
This decision would result in about 15 value chain development
reports for serving as models for other potential areas and planning for investment,
about 20 sustainable rural livelihood models for replication in other disadvantaged
areas and generation of about 25 patents
of scientific and economic significance besides about one hundred research
papers published in high quality and impact research journals.
The Project is planned
to start with effect from 1st July 2006 and the completion period
is six years. The total project cost
is US$250 million out of which the World Bank’s share would be US$ 200 million
as credit and Govt. of India’s share would be US$ 50 million. In Indian Rupees, the Project cost is equivalent
to Rs.1189.99 crore based on the prevailing exchange rate of 1 US$ equivalent to Rs.46.24 as on 7.12.2005
(the pre-appraisal date to determine the Project cost) Of this Rs.685.86 crore
is towards investment cost and Rs.504.13 crore is towards recurrent cost.
Governance,
Management and Institutional Arrangements:
The Project would be implemented by the Indian Council
of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Implementation of NAIP would also be highly
participatory and decentralized one. A
broad array of National Agricultural Research System (NARS) clients and stakeholders
including other relevant Ministries/Departments would be involved.
The structure and bodies that will be set up to facilitate this and
to ensure smooth and effective project implementation
include the National Steering Committee (NSC) at apex level, the Project
Management Committee (PMC), the Organisation and Management Programme Committee
(O&MPC), The Research Programme Committee (RPC), the Organization and
Management Advisory Group ( O&MAG), a Consortium Advisory Committee (CAC)
and a Consortium Implementation Committee (CIC) for each
consortium. The Project Implementation
Unit (PIU), under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), would
coordinate and facilitate implementation of the National Agricultural Innovation
Project (NAIP) under the direction and supervision of the Project Committee
(PMC). The basic innovation in governance
in the system is that the implementing consortia/institutions would be facilitated
by the Project Implementation Unit ( PIU) 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 the ICAR.
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YSR/DS/CS
(Release ID :18613)