The Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS) is an outcome of the 88th Session of Indian Science Congress held under the General Presidentship of Dr. R.S. Paroda at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi on 3-6 January, 2001. The theme of the Congress was "Food, Nutrition and Environmental Security".
During the Congress, Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee released the following Vision Statement for Indian Agriculture:
"By 2020, India will be free of poverty, hunger and malnutrition, and become an environmentally safe country. This, we believe, will be possible to achieve through accelerated social and economic development by harnessing the advances in science, and blending them with our indigenous knowledge, wisdom and unique socio-cultural ethos. We believe India can banish poverty and emerge as a developed nation by promoting growth through efficient and sustainable use of our human, natural and other resources”.
The Vision Statement concluded stating -
“Hunger free India is an idea whose time has come. Let us launch a science-based crusade for elimination of hidden hunger and malnutrition"
Prime Minister also exhorted the scientists by stating -
“Our goal to make India a leading nation in the world in the new century hinges critically on how successfully we take science to the people and create a stronger scientific temper in our society”.
In response to the above, and considering the fact that the Congress should not be seen as an end in itself and that there is need for a movement for harnessing, in particular, the agricultural sciences for the welfare of the people, the National Organizing Committee of the Congress decided to form a Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS).
Accordingly, the Trust was established on 17 October, 2002 with its Headquarters at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi.
Promoting growth and advancement of agriculture through scientific interactions and partnerships.