Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has inflicted colossal damage to the performance of the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) by appointing five members on ad hoc basis and this move has wreaked havoc for this state institution, it has been revealed in a document submitted to the parliamentary committee.

The Pakistan Agriculture Research Council was set up by the federal government for the research in the agriculture sector to augment agriculture products in the country to address the burning issue of food shortage in the country. Asif Zardari-led federal government appointed five members in PARC on ad hoc basis who had made the institution rot by their misdeed, the document says

The document further adds that during the last five years, the government allocated more than seven billion rupees to PARC for agriculture research but in this regard no tangible progress had been made and resulting targets in the food production had not be enhanced.

The members who were appointed on adhoc basis including member crop science ,member social science, member animal science, member natural resource and member finance and these officers had damaged the smooth functioning of the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council.

The document points out that during these five years, one thousand political workers were inducted in the department and former chairman PARC held the charge of this institution after expiry of this contract.

The report also highlights the financial irregularity committed by these adhoc members as these people consumed 60 million rupees on their luxurious life style. These 60 million rupees were allocated for agriculture research.

The report also highlights that production of wheat, sugarcane, cotton and rice has been declining with each passing years as the PARC could not invent new varieties of these crops.

The Daily Times repeatedly contacted the incumbent spokesman to the Chairman, PARC, for his views over the dismal performance of this government department but he was not ready to comment on the thorny and sensitive issue.