Prof. Dr. Indra Mani Visits JIVA Project, Inaugurates Bio-Input Resource Centre at Babhulgaon Ganganbeed Watershed

25 March 2026: Prof. Dr. Indra Mani, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor of Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth (VNMKV), Parbhani, visited the JIVA project site at Babhulgaon Ganganbeed watershed today. During his visit, he inaugurated the Bio-Input Resource Centre (BRC), interacted with farmers and women farmers, and undertook field inspections to observe ongoing project interventions. The visit was attended by Dr. Tekale, In-charge, Mechanisation in Animal Husbandry; Dr. H. H. Kausadikar, Head, Soil Science; Dr. Madhuri Revanwar, Head, KVK; and Dr. Maharani Din, Former Project Coordinator, ICAR-AICRP on UAE, ICAR CIAE, Bhopal.

Prof. Dr. Indra Mani lauded the efforts of the farmers, acknowledging the initiatives of Sanskriti Sanwardhan Mandal and the technical support provided by WASSAN and the RRA Network. He felicitated women farmer Smt. Suman Borole for achieving the highest yield under Natural Farming practices. 

During the visit, the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor welcomed key suggestions for further project development, including conducting a participatory assessment of the cotton-based crop diversification model—covering both economic and performance analysis—and undertaking a systematic evaluation of Bio-Input Resource Centres (BRCs).

Emphasizing the importance of scaling up Natural Farming initiatives, Prof. Dr. Indra Mani highlighted the role of multi-actor partnerships involving universities, state government agencies, and civil society organizations. He particularly stressed the need to strengthen the social dimensions of such projects to ensure sustainable and inclusive agricultural development.

VNMKV’s AICRP on Mechanization of Animal Husbandry Centre receives Best Centre Award

The AICRP on Mechanization of Animal Husbandry (MAH) centre at Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth (VNMKV), Parbhani has been honoured with the Best Centre Award for Outstanding Research Contribution for the year 2024–25. The award was conferred during the Annual Workshop of the AICRP on MAH held at Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand. The prestigious award was presented by Dr. M. S. Chauhan, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of the university, in the presence of distinguished dignitaries including Dr. S. N. Jha, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Engineering), Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi; Dr. K. P. Singh, Assistant Director General (Agricultural Engineering), ICAR; and Dr. S. P. Singh, Project Coordinator, AICRP on MAH from ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal.

The award recognizes the significant research contributions and technological advancements made by the VNMKV centre in the field of mechanization of animal husbandry, aimed at improving efficiency, productivity, and reducing drudgery in livestock management. On this occasion, Dr. Indra Mani, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of VNMKV, and Dr. K. S. Baig, Director of Research, congratulated the team of scientists of the AICRP on MAH centre for this significant achievement and appreciated their dedicated efforts in strengthening research on livestock mechanization for the benefit of farmers.