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Details

In the imperial Gazetteer of India 1878, Pusa was recorded as a government estate of about 1350 acres in Darbhanba. It was acquired by East India Company for running a stud farm to supply better breed of horses mainly for the army. Frequent incidence of glanders disease (swelling of glands), mostly affecting the valuable imported bloodstock made the civil veterinary department to shift the entire stock out of Pusa. A British tobacco concern Beg Sutherland & co. got the estate on lease but it also left in 1897 abandoning the government estate of Pusa.

Lord Mayo, The Viceroy and Governor General, had been repeatedly trying to get through his proposal for setting up a directorate general of Agriculture that would take care of the soil and its productivity, formulate newer techniques of cultivation, improve the quality of seeds and livestock and also arrange for imparting agricultural education. The government of India had invited a British expert. Dr. J. A. Voelcker who had submitted as report on the development of Indian agriculture. As a follow-up action, three experts in different fields were appointed for the first time during 1885 to 1895 namely, agricultural chemist (Dr. J. W. Leafer), cryptogamic botanist (Dr. R. A. Butler) and entomologist (Dr. H. Maxwell Lefroy) with headquarters at Dehradun (U.P.) in the forest Research Institute complex.

Surprisingly, until now Pusa, which was destined to become the centre of agricultural revolution in the country, was lying as before an abandoned government estate. In 1898. Lord Curzon took over as the viceroy. A widely traveled person and an administrator, he salvaged out the earlier proposal and got London’s approval for the appointment of the inspector General of Agriculture to which the first incumbent Mr. J. Mollison (Dy. Director of Agriculture, Bombay) joined in 1901 with headquarters at Nagpur

The then government of Bengal had mooted in 1902 a proposal to the centre for setting up a model cattle farm for improving the dilapidated condition of the livestock at Pusa estate where plenty of land, water and feed would be available, and with Mr. Mollison’s support this was accepted in principle. Around Pusa, there were many British planters and also an indigo research centre Dalsing Sarai (near Pusa). Mr. Mollison’s visits to this mini British kingdom and his strong recommendations. In favour of Pusa as the most ideal place for the Bengal government project obviously caught the attention for the viceroy.

Before the above proposal could be implemented, certain interesting developments had taken place which brought Pusa directly in the limelight in the history of agriculture of modern India. Probably the most important one was donation of $30,000 by an American, Mr. Henry Phipps of Chicago. Baroness Curzon was the daughter of an American millionaire and Mr. Phipps as a family friend used to visit India and stay as guest of Curzon. In the words of Lord Curzon, the amount had been offered to him by the donor for utilizing it in whatever way de desired. The decision of lord Curzon went in favour of agriculture. It is said that the name of the place Pusa is the abbreviated form of Phipps of U.S.A. (Pusa) but many people say that the name of the village Pusa existed even before.Since four and half lakh of rupees meant much in those days, the establishment of a full-fledged agricultural research institute and college was contemplated with parallel government support subject to the approval of the home government. As regards the location, Dehradun had its claim being the seat of the three government experts, but the expert committee under the chairmanship of Mr. Millison unanimously recommended Pusa a the most suitable place. One might guess as to what extent the planters around Pusa who would obviously be the immediate beneficiaries of the scheme, had influenced the decision of the Mollison committee. As a final outcome, the viceroy and governor general in council sent a comprehensive proposal on 4th June,1903 to the British cabinet for establishing an agricultural research institute and college at the government estate of Pusa It highlighted among many other things, the need for initiating research activities. Crop production strategy and having a model cattle farm and Agricultural College. With the services of the three experts at Dehara dun and appointment of a few more, Pusa became a nerve centre of future development of the country’s ;agriculture. It also identified the would be director currently working at the indigo project started getting into action. The first Director, Mr. B.Coventry jointed on April 1, 1904. Top level experts from Indian and England were consulted in working out the various details. The three specialists came down from Dehradun to head their respective sections being given as imperial status, like the Imperial Entomologist, who would also continue to exercise their all-Indian jurisdiction as before.

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