Faculty-development programme on Education Methodology
A 6-day faculty-development programme on "Education methodology and instructional technology" was held at Izatnagar during 4-9 July 2008. The programme was inaugurated by Dr S.P.S. Aheawat, Director and VC, IVRI, which was jointly organized by IVRI and National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad, and attended by 25 scientists from various divisions of the institute. National seminar on Mycotoxins A 2-day national seminar-cumworkshop on 'Current status, diagnosis and management of mycotoxicosis in livestock and poultry" was held during 10-11 July 2008 at Izatnagar to find out a solution for the control of economically important aspect of mycotoxicosis.

On this occasion, Padma Vibhushan Dr R.B. Singh former Chairman, ASRB, and Member, National Commission on Farmers, New Delhi, was the chief guest. In his address, he remarked that the country is again facing the shortage of food and food security as was in sixties. Besides, the safe upkeep and storage of food and ingredients is another concern. In the coming years, livestock production will be the most important agricultural sector in terms of added value. The combination of higher demand, more people and less space is leading rapidly to a global transformation of the livestock sector.

Dr S.P.S. Ahlawat stated that mycotoxicosis had gained immense importance in recent years due to detection of considerable amount of mycotoxins in feed-stuffs, cereals and a wide variety of plant and animal products. The agro-climatic conditions in India are highly conducive for contamination with fungi and mycotoxins.

As the Guest of Honour, Dr W.S. Lakra, Director, National Bureau of Fisheries Genetic Resources, Lucknow, emphasized the problem of aflatoxicosis in fishes such as rainbow trout. The other Guest of Honour, Prof. N.S. Agar, University of Sydney, Australia, laid stress on the significance of practical training, assignments and group discussions in the teaching methodology. Four eminent scientists, viz. Dr Prabhaker Dwivedi, Dr T.S. John, Dr K.C. Verma and Dr S.K. Chattopadhyay, who have contributed significantly in the field of mycotoxicosis research, were honoured by I.A.V.P, Izatnagar Chapter and Dr CM. Singh Endowment Trust. More than 100 delegates participated from all over the country, and more than 50 farmers
from Bareilly district, participated in it.

National workshop on Bioinformatics
A 3-day national workshop -cumtraining programme on Bioinformatics was organized during 26-28 August 2008 at Bioinformatics Centre (DISC), Izatnagar. The workshop sponsored by Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi, was attended by 47 participants, including scientists, university teachers and researchers from different parts of the country.

Inaugurating the workshop, Dr R.M. Acharya, former Deputy Director- General (Animal Science), ICAR, New Delhi, stressed the vital role of bioinformatics in biological research and briefed about the burgeoning field of bioinformatics and how the information is represented and transmitted in biological systems starting at the molecular level. The research in genomics,
proteomics, drug designing etc. involves a huge amount of information, which demands computational techniques, statistical tools and other related databases for managing and analyzing the information to solve complex biological problems.

Dr S.P.S. Ahlawat, VC, stressed the need to develop e-learning, e-extension, e-nutrition, e-livestock farming, health coverage etc., which may provide accurate data-based statistics about the livestock population, diseases and
other livestock-related information.

The Guest of Honour, Dr Kiran Singh, former Dy Director-General (AS), ICAR, New Delhi, expressed his happiness over the remarkable achievements of IVRI. He also appreciated the efforts of Director for the overall development of the institute.
Dr Rajendra Singh, Course Director of the workshop, briefed about the workshop-cum-training programme and laid emphasizes on the development of newer statistical techniques, algorithms etc. to provide viable solutions to the problems po sed by new central dogma of biology.

In the concluding session, the Chief Guest, Dr M.C. Sharma, Director, Central Institute for Research on Goat, Makhdoom, Mathura gave away certificates to the participants.

A PROFILE

INDIAN VETERINARY RESEARCH INSTITUTE, IZATNAGAR

Indian Veterinary Research Institute has a pioneering role in transforming the academic spectrum of veterinary education in the country. It has the distinction of being the first veterinary university (Deemed to be) in India. This premier research institute with its Deemed-to-be-University status is renowned for its contribution to basic and applied research on all aspects of livestock health, production and technology as well as postgraduate education in important branches of Veterinary and Animal Sciences. It is committed to invocation and effectiveness in research, education and outreach programmes that are responsive to the needs of veterinary and animal science sector to serve the livestock owners in the nation.

Setting up
In recognition of long and sustained contribution in Animal Health, Animal Production, Animal Products Technology, and Basic and Social Sciences through post-graduate education and research programmes, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, vide letter No. F.9-1/103 U .3/001, Ministry of Education & Culture (Dep. of Education), dated 16.11.1983 on the recommendation of University Grants Commission declared the Indian Veterinary Research Institute as Deemed-to-be a
University as per section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956.

Major goals

• To impart post-graduate education to meritorious candidates in different disciplines of veterinary and animal sciences including frontier areas such as biotechnology, immunology etc.
• To make veterinary and animal science post-graduate education responsive to the growing and changing needs of the society, especially the aspirations of the livestock owners of farming community.
• To establish a dynamic system of veterinary and animal science education to train highly skilled and competent manpower to address the challenging tasks with new emerging areas of research, teaching, extension and industry.
• To formulate courses of current and future relevance to build a strong academic foundation for the scientific and technical manpower generated by the deemed university.

National diploma courses
Besides teaching programmes for M.V.Sc. & Ph.D. students, this deemed university runs specialized teaching and training programmes for National Diploma Courses of 10 months duration in nine disciplines, viz. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Animal Husbandry, Veterinary Biological Products, Animal Reproduction, Poultry Husbandry, Equine special convocation at ivra.izatnagar Husbandry, Medicine and Management, Meat and Meat Products Technology, and Fodder and Feed Technology. The National Diplomas in Equine Husbandry, and Medicine and Surgery are offered mainly to army officers to provide the latest advances in health, breeding and management of equines of relevance to the armed forces. Since the last 5 years, 124 students including in-service candidates have successfully completed these courses.

Short-term training courses
The institute has achieved excellence in research and teaching. The deemed university has organized and conducted some highly specialized Short-term Training Courses to provide information on the recent advances and hands-on training to the
students and in-service candidates. Total 202 students along with in-service candidates have successfully completed these training courses since the last 5 years.

• Production of Poultry Vaccine: RD (F), RD (M) and Fowl Pox.
• Technology of vaccine production for economically important bacterial diseases: HS/BQ/Enterotoxaemia Anthrax.
• Production and standardization of brucella and salmonella antigens.
• Technology for production of sheep pox and swine fevervaccines.
• Conventional and molecular techniques for diagnosis of important bacterial diseases of animals.
• Diagnosis and control of important poultry diseases.
• International training in molecular biology and biotechnology techniques in animal research.
• Radiology.
• An esthesia and pain management in animals.
• Fracture management in animals.
• Molecular techniques for livestock-genome analysis.
• Diagnosis and control of important emerging zoonoses.
• Recent advances in diagnosis of some parasitic diseases.
• Advanced molecular tools fordiagnosis of bacterial diseases.
• Laboratory diagnosis of animal diseases and zoonoses.
• Advances in management technologies for livestock production.
• Mycotoxin and other feed poisons and their diagnosis.
• ISO certification of veterinary diagnostic laboratories.
• Histopathology as an aid in diagnosis of animal diseases.
• Diagnosis of brucellosis and IBR.
• Diagnosis of compylobacteriosis and trichomonisis.
• Diagnosis of tuberculosis and Johns disease.
• Assurance of veterinary biologicals.
• Epidemiological tools in diagnosis, prevention and control of animal diseases.
• Isolation and characterization of mycoplasma infections in livestock and poultry (international course).
• Production and testing of animal vaccines.
  

Main achievements
The institute has completed 117 years of dedicated service to livestock at global level and 114 years of its education and training activity at national and international levels. The first training programme was organized for the field veterinarians on
general principles of therapeutics in 1890. Aschemeforregulartraining of officers from Army, Civil and Veterinary Departments was initiated in 1904 in the area of Comparative Pathology and Bacteriology.

Later, these training programmes were reoriented and refresher courses in Veterinary science were reorganized as National Diploma and Certificate Courses to cater to the demands of state universities and departments. The education and training activities of the institute since its inception had been integrated with its primary responsibility of conducting research in Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry with transfer of technology developed to field veterinarians and industries engaged in commercial production for veterinary science and animal husbandry.

The university has produced human resource for technological advances made in disease diagnosis that helped in combating heavy mortality and morbidity loses due to several diseases in livestock. More than 44 immuno-biologicals against many bacterial, viral and parasitic diseases have been developed. Quick diagnostic kits for important diseases have been standardized for field use, resulting in early diagnosis of the disease and timely adoption of control measures.

Significant success was achieved in developing indigenous drugs and surgical techniques. Formulation of livestock and poultry feed rations with locally available ingredients and non-conventional feeds helped in meeting the minimum available nutrient requirements of the animals during severe drought and flood calamities.

As growing population needs optimum utilization of livestock resources, animal health is important for improved productivity. In the changed economic scenario support of research will be forthcoming by largescale participation of private
entrepreneurs in veterinary pharmaceutical industries and animal feed-processing units. There is now wide open international market for the export of biologicals, pharmaceuticals and livestock products. Advanced technologies or tools can be exploited for producing effective and economical immuno-biologicals and disease diagnostics. This alround development would certainly pave the way for large-scale rural employment.

The university with its reputation for quality education offers Master's degree in 23 disciplines and Doctoral programme in 20 disciplines. Under the aegis of new set-up, 433 M.V.Sc. and 326 Ph.D. students were admitted since last 5 years, and 409
M.V.Sc. and 246 Ph.D. have successfully completed the courses. Year-wise MVSc students Year-wise Ph.D. students
International training on Molecular Biology and Biotechnology techniques

Future perspective plan till 2020
Research priorities
The future perspective plan till 2020 of the institute aims to meet the anticipated
demands of the nation. The programmes identified would broadly cover the following
topics:

• Surveillance, creation of databank and forecasting system of animal diseases.
• Development of quick and precise methodologies including kits for diagnosis of diseases or conditions, and package of
  practices foroptimum animal health.
• Improvement of immunoprophylactics and use of biotechnological tools in evolving vaccines for important diseases of livestock and poultry.
• Pharmacological evaluation of herbs or plant products and promotion of ethnoveterinary medicine.
• Genetic studies on disease resistance in domestic species of livestock.
• Development of techniques for multiple ovulations, embryo transfer, in-vitro fertilization and cloning of embryos.
• Development of reasonably economic diets and feeding schedules for SPF, pets, sick farm animals and captive wildlife.
• Processing and preservation of meat, using cutting-edge technologies.

Linkages and international collaborations

The plan document lays greater emphasis on developing strong linkages with national and international R&D institutions on one hand' and with beneficiaries, the farmers or industry on the other, for effective implementation of identified programmes.

The support of NGOs and AH Departments in States or Union Territories will be solicited for implementation of developmental programmes and transfer of technologies. The students from abroad are also admitted in this Deemed University. They apply for M.V.Sc. and Ph.D. programmes through ICAR-CARP Plan, Indo-Cultural Exchange Programme and DARE etc. Students from Sri Lanka, Vietnam, South Africa, Iran, Ethiopia, Nigeria and, Nepal have been awarded degrees for these programmes. Some participants from Canada, Afghanistan, Philippines, Mauritius, Indonesia, Cuba, Myanmar, Thailand etc. participated in short-term training courses in the last 5 years.

Human Resource Development

The emphasis on HRD programmes for the coming decades would be in the following directions:

• Post-graduate programmes for manpower development in education and research.
• Manpower development in veterinary administration.
  
• Specialist cadre training
• Continuing veterinary education through short-term training courses.
• For improvement of training programmes, strengthening in the following areas is envisaged

1. Training of trainers
2. Learning-resource centre based on information technology
3. Link-teaching programme
4. Upgradation of students' amenities, library services, courses curriculum and teaching aids

Thus effective implementation of suggested programmes would doubtless enable India to develop newer cost-effective, farmer-friendly, ecologically acceptable and sustainable strategies to combat dreadful animal diseases and to augment livestock or poultry production, thus meeting the future challenges in the fields of animal health, production and fulfilling the mandate to act as national referral centre for veterinary type-cultures, disease diagnosis, biologicals and immuno-diagnosticsetc.