ICAR-NAARM, Hyderabad Concludes XIX Executive Development Programme on "Leadership Excellence" (for RMPs) of ICAR

1 November 2026, Hyderabad

ICAR-National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad concluded its five-day XIX Executive Development Programme on "Leadership Excellence" for Research Management Positions (RMPs) here today.

The prestigious programme was attended by 13 Senior Agricultural leaders including a Deputy Director General (DDG), 2 Assistant Directors General (ADGs), Directors and Joint Directors of national institutes.

Following the presentation of the programme report the Chief Guest Dr M.L. Jat, Secretary, DARE & Director General, ICAR distributed certificates to the participants and delivered a keynote address detailing the critical leadership dimensions required to modernise national agricultural research governance.

Strategic Vision and Institutional Overhaul

In his address, Dr Jat emphasized the need for a strategic and adaptive vision, urging proactive decision-making to align national agricultural research with emerging global challenges. He called for a major shift toward farmer-centric innovation ecosystems, ensuring all future research output directly solves ground-level agricultural issues and measurably improves rural livelihoods.

Building Climate Resilience and Future Leaders

The leadership roadmap heavily stresses long-term capacity building and climate resilience. Dr Jat urged research managers to strengthen organizational agility to better navigate rapidly evolving agricultural and environmental landscapes.

Achieving this level of agility requires equipping RMP officers with modern executive management skills. The strategy calls for adaptive resource allocation—managing funding, infrastructure, and human capital with high efficiency to maximize operational agility across all national centres. Furthermore, Dr Jat emphasized the need to actively mentor mid-career scientists to build a resilient, well-prepared second tier of institutional leadership.

Dr R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Director, ICAR-NAARM, delivered the presidential address on strategic executive development. The event concluded with a Vote of Thanks offered by Dr Gopal Lal, Joint Director and Programme Director.

(Source: ICAR-National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad)