Overview

• ICAR plans to open online choice‑filling on October 6, or October 7 if the State Bank of India payment gateway finalization slips, according to Director General (Education) Joykrushna Jena.
• Officials said counselling was ready by mid‑September but the process paused when an initial bank partner exited, prompting a restart of payment integration with SBI.
• Rounds will be shortened to about three days each to conclude admissions by the third week of October, with reports differing on whether there will be four or five rounds.
• The Union agriculture minister announced that 20% of undergraduate seats in agricultural universities will be filled through ICAR’s all‑India competitive examination.
• Of 50 universities, 42 now accept the ABC (Agriculture, Biology, Chemistry) combination and three accept PCA (Physics, Chemistry, Agriculture), while five await board approvals with inclusion targeted by 2026–27.