1Dr R.B. Rai was born on 5th January, 1954 at Gorakhpur, UP. He was awarded BVSc & AH degree with honours (1977), MVSc (1979) and PhD (1983) degrees in Veterinary Pathology from GBPUA&T, Pantnagar. He started his career as Teaching Associate (19801981) and then served as Assistant Professor (1981-1983). In 1983, he joined Agricultural Research Services (ARS) and served as Scientist S-1 (1983-87) at Division of Fur Animal Breeding, CSWRI, Garsa, Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, Senior Scientist (1987-1999) and Principal Scientist (1999-2006) at CARI, Port Blair and at Division of Pathology, IVRI, Izatnagar, UP (2006-2016). During his services in ICAR, he served on various posts viz. Director, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services (1997-2002) with additional charges of Director, Agriculture and Director, Fisheries for various periods in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Head of Division, Animal Science Division and Acting Director, Central Agricultural Research Institute, Port Blair. During his career, he worked in 16 research projects as PI/ CPI/Co-PI. He guided 6 MVSc and 3 PhD students. His publications include 230 research papers, 52 invited/ lead papers, 172 abstracts in symposia/ seminars, 12 books, 23 bulletins. Besides, publishing more than 150 popular articles; he used e-Books to disseminate the technologies. His main emphasis was to integrate research with development and developing low cost highly profitable technologies for maximum profitability and targeting the critical areas providing reasonable solutions for problems like - mastitis, anoestrous, endometritis, universal plant bio-growth enhancers, rural poultry production, etc. Dr R.B. Rai has made significant contributions in the control of calf mortality, mass control of infertility in bovines and oestrous synchronization and development of preventive and therapeutic measure against mastitis, treatment etc. He has claimed in contribution of development of varieties viz. Teressa goat (an unreported germ plasm), Nicobari fowl and its two crosses, two strains of dual purpose poultry i.e. Nishibari and Nicorock, high producing line of Nicobari fowl and Boer goat crosses (Boer semen x local female). Dr R.B. Rai has been recipient of several national awards including ICAR Team Research Award (1991-93 and 2001-02), ICAR Fakhruddin Ali Ahmad Award (1994-95 and 2002-03), Fellowships of NAAS (2010), NAVS (2008) and BIOVED (2010), NAAS - L.C. Sikka Award (2011-12), DBT Biotechnology Award for Products and Processes (2013), ICAR/NAIP Certificate of Appreciation (2012), IAVP -Dr Patri Rama Rao Award (2014) and Dr Ram Raksha-Kiran Shukla Award (2014) to his PG students etc. He filed 4 patents which have been commercialized to 8 firms. He was a member of three member delegation of DARE, GOI to Maldives for greening the newly developed Island Halhumale. He superannuated from Councils services on 31st January, 2016 as Principal Scientist after more than three decades fruitful applied services to Nation.
He suddenly passed away at Banda on 10-1-2020, while he went to attend a meeting at Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda, UP. Dr Rai is survived by his wife Mrs Shushila Rai, Abhishek, Madhuresh (sons) and Archana (daughter). Sudden demise of Dr Rai is shocking and a great loss to Veterinary Pathology fraternity and farmers. His relatives and colleagues paid rich tribute to him on social media including IAVP WhatsApp group. May God give peace to departed soul and strength to his grieved family members.
