Punjab Agricultural Research Board Act 1997: Scope and Research Coordination
The Punjab Agricultural Research Board Act 1997 was enacted to streamline agricultural research activities that were previously fragmented across various departments. By centralizing the planning and funding of research, the Act aims to maximize the impact of provincial resources on crop yields, livestock health, and sustainable farming.
1. Short Title and Citation
This legislation is officially cited as the Punjab Agricultural Research Board Act 1997. It provides the legal mandate for the Board to act as a high-level monitoring body for all agricultural research institutes in Punjab.
2. Territorial Extent
The Act extends to the whole of the Province of the Punjab. This ensures that research initiatives—from the wheat belts of central Punjab to the cotton-growing regions in the south—are governed by a unified set of standards and strategic goals.
3. Commencement
The Act came into force at once in 1997. Since its inception, it has empowered the Board to allocate grants, approve research projects, and foster collaborations between local scientists and international agricultural organizations.
Key Functions of the Research Board
Under this legal framework, PARB is tasked with several vital responsibilities:
Strategic Planning: Identifying high-priority areas for research that can solve immediate problems faced by farmers.
Funding & Grants: Managing the “Agricultural Research Fund” to support innovative projects in universities and research stations.
Monitoring & Evaluation: Ensuring that research projects are meeting their milestones and producing results that can be applied in the field.
Knowledge Transfer: Facilitating the movement of new technologies from the laboratory to the end-user (the farmer).
