Hyderabad, July 10 (RAHNUMA): The National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM) inaugurated the FOCARS (Foundation Course for Agricultural Research Service) Retreat 2026 on Friday as part of its upcoming Golden Jubilee celebrations.
The retreat aims to gather recommendations from FOCARS veterans to strengthen the programme’s curriculum, structure and duration while bringing together former participants, mentors and the NAARM community.
Addressing the inaugural session, Dr Yashpal Singh Malik, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Education), ICAR, stressed the importance of documenting the experiences of veteran agricultural scientists and sharing them with younger researchers to help address emerging challenges in the agriculture sector.
Dr R Meenakshi Sundaram, Director, NAARM, said insights from experienced leaders and policy experts would help the academy develop future-ready agricultural scientists and strengthen the FOCARS programme in line with the vision of “Viksit Bharat 2047”.
Dr Gopal Lal, Joint Director, said the retreat would include interactions with FOCARS veterans, team-building exercises, cultural programmes and reflection sessions.
Earlier, Organising Secretary Dr Ganesh Kumar welcomed the participants and outlined the objectives of the event.
Some 46 former ICAR Directors, Joint Directors and Principal Scientists, representing 34 FOCARS batches (1985-1995), are participating in the retreat along with NAARM faculty and senior officials.
