One para on genesis and history on the present AICRP
In recognition of the potential role of honey bees and other pollinators enhancing the agricultural production and productivity, National Commission on Agriculture during 1976 recommended the starting of a project entitled “All India Coordinated Project on Honeybee Research & Training”, which was launched by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in 1980-81. The coordinating centers of the Project started functioning at different locations under the Project Coordinating unit located at the then Central Bee Research Institute (CBRI), Pune, presently designated as Central Bee Research & Training Institute (CBRTI), Pune with an objective to coordinate, counsel and monitor the activity of cooperating centres. The PC unit at CBRTI, Pune continued to function from 1980-81 to 1987 and then shifted to CCS, HAU, Hisar, Haryana where it functioned from 1987-88 to October 2013. A new centre was added in the VIII plan at Kerala Agricultural University, Trivandrum. Besides the honey bees, there are many non Apis bees, insects and animals which contribute to potential yield enhancement of several cross pollinated crops. Realizing this fact the current project has been up scaled during the XIth plan period (2008-2012) with a new name as All India Coordinated Research Project on Honey bees and Pollinators in July, 2007. By end of the XIth plan period AICRP on honeybees and pollinators is functions with the following 16 centres other than the Project Coordinating unit.
Now the Project Coordinating Unit is functioning at Division of Entomology, IARI, Pusa, New Delhi from November, 2013 with new aspiration and drive to coordinate location specific research on pollinators. Now the project has 18 regular coordinating centers and 6 voluntary centers with sanctioned strength of 26 scientists to undertake the research work over a larger agro-ecological area than before.