Pakistan Agricultural Research Council Ordinance, 1981

The Pakistan Agricultural Research Council Ordinance, 1981 creates and organizes PARC, the Federal Government's central body for coordinating agricultural research across Pakistan, replacing an earlier research council that had existed under the Agricultural Produce Cess Act, 1940.

Section 3 establishes the Council as a body corporate, meaning it can own property, sue, and be sued in its own name, headquartered in Islamabad unless the government directs otherwise. Section 4 sets out its functions: undertaking, funding, and coordinating agricultural research (covering crops, livestock, fisheries, forestry, and related engineering and socio-economic aspects, per the Section 2 definition of "agriculture"); getting research results put into practical use; training high-level scientific manpower; and maintaining a reference and research library. Section 5 makes the Council follow Federal Government policy directives, with the government as sole judge of what counts as a policy question.

Sections 6-14 set out how the Council is run: a Board of Governors, chaired by the Federal Minister for Agriculture as "President" (Section 7), with a Chairman, an eminent agricultural scientist appointed by the President of Pakistan and serving at his pleasure (Section 9), acting as chief executive, plus up to five whole-time members. An Executive Committee made up of the Chairman and whole-time members handles day-to-day administration and reviews research project progress (Section 8).

Sections 15-16 deal with staffing: the Council can hire its own officers and staff, and existing employees and civil servants of the old Agricultural Research Council and its Directorate-General were automatically transferred to the new Council on their existing terms, with an option to decline the transfer within three months (Section 16(3)) and compensation equal to three months' pay if no alternative posting could be arranged (Section 16(5)). Sections 17-24 cover finances: government grants, the Council's own fund, exemption from income, wealth, and gift taxes on its income (Section 20), and power to borrow with government approval (Section 22). Section 29 gives the Council and its staff indemnity for good-faith actions, and Section 30 requires two months' prior notice before anyone can sue the Council.