The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), commonly known as the Pusa Institute, IARI ranked First among Agriculture and Allied Universities in the National Institutional Ranking Framework NIRF (India Rankings 2024).

History

thumb|left|140px|Logo of the Imperial Agricultural Research Institute

thumb|200px|Imperial Agricultural Research Institute, at its original location Pusa, Bihar, circa 1927

The institute was established in 1905 at Pusa, Bihar, with financial assistance of Henry Phipps, Jr., an American philanthropist. Phipps was a family friend of Lady Curzon, who was a daughter of an American millionaire, and the wife of Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India. Phipps stayed as a guest of the Curzons during his visit to India and left behind a donation of £30,000, which was used to establish the institute. He laid the foundation stone of the Agricultural Research Institute and college on 1 April 1905.

However, the institute was damaged during the devastating Bihar earthquake of 15 January 1934. The Secretary of State approved the transfer in July, 1934. The Standing Finance Committee of the Union Assembly finally announced on 25 August 1934 in Shimla, the decision to shift the institute to New Delhi at the approximate cost of . to a place that is now called Pusa in New Delhi. The director B. Viswanath, a soil scientist was to be the first Indian to head the institute. The new campus at New Delhi was inaugurated on 29 July 1936,

Post-independence: 1947–present

Post-independence, the institute was renamed the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, In 1958, it was recognized as a "deemed university" under the UGC act of 1956 of Parliament and since then it has awarded MSc and PhD degrees. IARI has also started its undergraduate programme from 2022 to 2023.

What remained of the institute at the original location was downgraded to an agricultural research station until 1970, when the Government of Bihar established the Rajendra Agricultural University at the location.

Campus

The campus is spread over , 8 km west of New Delhi Railway Station. This was initially outside Delhi, but over the decades the city has grown much beyond the campus. Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute is affiliated with and is located in the campus of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute.

Schools at IARI

  • School of Crop Improvement
  • School of Plant Protection
  • School of Basic Sciences
  • School of Natural Resource Management
  • School of Social Sciences
  • School of Horticultural Science

Notable alumni

M. H. Ahmad

Rajendra Sing Paroda

See also

  • Pusa 1121 rice
  • Van Vigyan Kendra Forest Science Centres

References

  • IARI website