Principal

Dr. Ravi Kumar Theodore , Ph.D

Dr. Ravi Kumar Theodore is a retired Professor in Agricultural Extension from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore, India. He holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Extension from TNAU. His illustrious career spans over three decades, marked by distinguished service, academic excellence, and contributions to the field of agricultural extension.

Dr. Theodore’s professional journey began in 1989 when he joined TNAU’s Dept. of Agricultural Extension & Rural Sociology (AE&RS) as an Assistant Professor. Throughout his tenure, he steadily rose through the ranks, becoming an Associate Professor and a Professor. He also held leadership positions within the university, serving as Professor and Head of the Dept. of AE&RS from 2012 to 2015, and Professor and Head of the Training Division in the Directorate of Extension Education during 2019 to 2022.

Beyond TNAU, Dr. Theodore has served as Assistant Director at the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad, and as Dean of the Kumaraguru Institute of Agriculture (KIA) in Erode district. He has also been a National Level Facilitator for MANAGE since 1993, conducting training programmes on agricultural extension management.

Accomplishments

Research

Dr. Theodore has handled several undergraduate and postgraduate courses in agricultural extension. He has guided 7 masters and 2 Ph.D. students as Chairman of the Thesis Advisory Committee. He managed over 10 externally funded and institution-funded research projects. Dr. Theodore’s commitment extends to capacity building for farmers and extension personnel. He has conducted over 200 training programmes for farmers and numerous training sessions for extension officers, government officials, and foresters. He has also played a key role in organizing Summer Institutes and Summer Schools sponsored by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Dr. Theodore’s contributions have been recognized through prestigious awards, including the Jawaharlal Nehru Scholarship for his Ph.D. research at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines, and the FAO fellowship for advanced training at the University of Western Sydney, Australia.

Dr. Theodore has been a member of various committees, including the Regional Research Advisory Committee (RRAC) of Central Silk Board, GoI; Expert Member, Interview Board for recruiting faculty positions at the College of Agriculture, Agartala, Tripura; Member, Project Screening Committee for evaluating ICAR Extramural Research Projects, ICAR, New Delhi and several others.

Board of studies

1.	Dr. Ravi Kumar Theodore, Principal	Chairman
2.	Dr. S. Hemalatha, Vice-Principal	Co-Chairman
3.	Dr. K. Shoban Chakravarthy, Asst. Professor (AGR) & Academic Coordinator	Member Secretary
4.	Dr. P. Baskar, Associate Professor (AGR) & Head, DCM	Member
5.	Dr. K. Senthil Kumar, Asst. Professor (PBG) & Head, DCI	Member
6.	Mr. V. Dhanasekar, Asst. Professor (AEN) & Head, DOP	Member
7.	Dr. P. G. Dhamotharan, Associate Professor (ARM) & Head, DSS	Member
8.	Dr. R. P. Jagadeeshkanth, Asst. Professor (HOR) & Head, DOH	Member
9.	Dr. V. Karthika, Asst. Professor (ENS)	Member
10.	Dr. V. Suganya, Asst. Professor (CRP)	Member
11.	Dr. C. R. Chinnamuthu, ICAR Emeritus Scientist (Agronomy), TNAU, Coimbatore	External Expert

Governing Council

KIA is governed by a governing council members and sets the strategic directions of the Institution and supports its growth and advancement. The GC members have rich and wide experience in the governance of academic Institutions and Industry.

S. No.	Name	Designation
	Trust Nominees
1.	Dr. B. K. Krishnaraj Vanavarayar, Chairman, Kumaraguru Institutions, Coimbatore	Chairman
2.	Mr. M. Balasubramaniam, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Sakthi Finance Ltd. Coimbatore	Member
3.	Mr. Shankar Vanavarayar, Joint Correspondent, Kumaraguru Institutions, Coimbatore	Member
4.	G. Muniasamy, Executive Director, Kumaraguru Institutions.	Member
5.	Dr. Vijila Kennedy, Principal, KCLAS, Coimbatore	Member
	TNAU Nominee
6.	Dr. K. Venkatesan (Dean Horticulture), HCRI, TNAU, Coimbatore.	Member
	External Experts
7.	Dr.S.Babu, Dean (Agriculture), VIT, Vellore	Member
8.	Dr. Rahul Mirchandani, Chairman and Managing Director, Aries Agro limited, Mumbai	Member
9.	Dr. Shankar Venugopal, Vice President, Mahindra and Mahindra, Technology innovation and knowledge management, Chennai	Member
10.	Mr. Srikanth Suryanarayan, Managing Director, Ishka Farms, Tuticorin	Member
11.	Dr.E. Vadivel, Strategic Advisor (FPOs), Tamil Nadu Consortium of Farmer Producer Company Ltd.	Member
	Ex Officio
12.	Dr. Ravi Kumar Theodore, Principal, Kumaraguru Institute of Agriculture, Erode	Member(Ex-oﬃcio)

Dr. B. K. Krishnaraj Vanavarayar, Chairman, Kumaraguru Institutions, Coimbatore

Dr. B.K.Krishnaraj Vanavarayar, born in an aristocratic family from Pollachi qualified himself as a Barrister and later entered business. The high ideals of Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi had a profound impact on him. B.K.Krishnaraj Vanavarayar has served in the Management Committees of many leading schools and colleges and worked for making values an integral part of the curriculum.

Mr. M. Balasubramaniam, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Sakthi Finance Ltd. Coimbatore

Mr. M. Balasubramaniam, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Company, holds Masters Degree in Commerce from Madras University and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Notre Dame University, USA. He was the Chairman of Coimbatore Zone of Confederation of Indian Industry as also a member of the Management Committee of Coimbatore Management Association. He is presently a senate member in Bharathiyar University, Coimbatore. Holding Directorship in most of the Sakthi Group of Companies he is also serving as the Correspondent of the Kumaraguru College of Technology and Secretary of Nachimuthu Gounder Mahalingam College.

Mr. Shankar Vanavarayar, Joint Correspondent, Kumaraguru Institutions, Coimbatore

Mr. Shankar Vanavarayar is an accomplished business and organisation leader, a spirited patron of arts, history and heritage, a successful entrepreneur and an inspired educationist. In a highly dynamic and diversified professional career spread over 15 years, he has held leadership positions in businesses, educational institutions, social development organizations and programs within The Sakthi Group, and in the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). He has a proven track record in building teams, strategic planning, managing programs and operations in multiple domains spanning business (textiles, automotive, financial services, agri-foods, retail), education (arts, science & technology), culture and heritage, community and social development, international youth affairs, cross national institutions and alliances etc.

G. Muniasamy, Executive Director, Kumaraguru Institutions

G Muniasamy is an Engineer and Management Professional with rich experience in Banking, Financial Services, IT and Academic Institutions. He is currently the Executive Director, Kumaraguru Institutions. He is part of the strategic team in Admission Management, Financial Planning, New initiatives etc. He had played a significant role in the development of Kumaraguru Institute of Agriculture during its initial years. He also plays strategic roles in group institutions like Sakthi Polytechnic College, NGM College, Suddha Sanmarga Nilayam Institutions @ Vadalur.

Dr. Vijila Kennedy, Principal, KCLAS, Coimbatore

Dr. Vijila Edwin-Kennedy is a distinguished academician and an able administrator, who currently holds the position of the Principal of Kumaraguru College of Liberal Arts & Science. Being the Founding Principal, she brings a blend of scholarship, professionalism, administrative competence and Integrity. She has a proven track record of being a visionary and an excellent administrator which has made her to excel in Institution building.

Dr. K. Venkatesan

Dr. K. Venkatesan serves as the Dean (Horticulture) in charge at HC&RI, TNAU, Coimbatore, bringing decades of expertise in academic and administrative leadership. A prolific researcher, he has developed six crop varieties and holds an innovative AI patent for capsicum harvesting. Throughout his career, he has secured over ₹198 lakhs in funding and established critical infrastructure like the New Turmeric Research Centre at Bhavanisagar. As a dedicated educator and extension worker, he has mentored over 50 PG students and trained more than 3,000 farmers in modern technologies. His multifaceted contributions continue to drive excellence in horticultural research, education, and rural development.

Dr. S. Babu

Dr. S. Babu, Dean Agriculture, and Director School of Agricultural Innovations And Advanced Learning (VAIAL), at Vellore Institute of Technology. He is currently leading the Agriculture team in Vellore Institute of Technology with USP of precision farming and smart agriculture. Teaching genomics, proteomics, plant biotechnology, plant pathology and farming systems courses at VIT. He has handled many research projects and published more than 75 research papers.

Dr. Rahul Mirchandani

Dr. Rahul Mirchandani has 23 years of experience as Director of Aries Agro Limited Ranked amongst the 30 Most Innovative CEOs in India in 2014, he has pioneered several unique marketing processes and brand management tactics at Aries. He holds a Doctorate in Management Studies from NMIMS University, Mumbai and is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and holds an MBA from the University of Canberra, Australia. A Past National Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry’s Young Indians (CII-Yi), he is the architect of Yi’s Farmers Net program and has served on the CII Agriculture, Innovation, International Policy and India@75 National Councils.

Dr. Shankar Venugopal

Dr. Shankar Venugopal , Vice President, Mahindra & Mahindra leads technology innovation for the Automotive & Farm services business (AFS). He heads the intellectual property (Patents) and knowledge management functions. He is also the Dean of the Mahindra Technical Academy. Shankar is passionate about developing sustainable urban mobility solutions and his current interests span across electric vehicles, connected vehicles, autonomous vehicles and precision farming. He holds ten international patents and numerous new product innovation awards. He has developed a proprietary innovation methodology – Innovation FLOW – and trained 1000 + inventors and innovators. Shankar obtained a Ph.D in Materials Science and a gold medal for the best doctoral thesis from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Shankar completed his executive management program from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. He teaches technology innovation management at premier engineering & management institutes in India & abroad.

Mr. Srikant Suryanarayan

On completing his Bachelor in Commerce from St. Alberts College Kochi, Kerala in 1993, Srikant proceeded to the University of Canberra for his Masters in Business Administration, specializing in International Business. In 2004, he joined the prestigious Wharton Fellows Program at the University of Pennsylvania, and in 2016 the Aspen Institute, Italy. As Managing Director of the Tradelinks Group and a second-generation entrepreneur, his primary responsibility is to drive growth and explore new business opportunities. He has chalked out the group’s expansion strategy and vision: “film to farm to food to fork” this past decade. His entrepreneurship experiences, youth social engineering with Young Indian (Yi), and deep faith in the Indian growth story are passionate and unique strengths he brings to the company.

Dr. E. Vadivel

Dr. E. Vadivel, Former Dean (Horticulture) & Former Director (Extension Education), TNAU, Coimbatore. Currently, he is serving as a strategic Advisor of FPO’s incorporated 55 Farmers Producer companies with 1000 farmers in each. He was the state level consultant for collective farming project during 2017 – 20. He is the chairman and Managing trustee Agri systems Foundation. He served in various capacities and he is serving as an expert committee member for many organization and Institutes.

Dr. Ravi Kumar Theodore, Principal

Internal Complaints Committee

S.No	Name and Designation	Position
1	Dr. Ravi Kumar Theodore, Principal	Chairman
2	Dr. S. Hemalatha, Vice-Principal	Co-Chairman
3	Dr. C. Sangeetha, Asst. Professor (Agronomy)	Member Secretary
4	Mrs. Latha Sundaram, Certified POSH Trainer	External Member
5	Mrs. M. Maheshwari, Asst. Professor (Plant Pathology)	Member
6	Mrs. R. Deepa, Asst. Professor (Biochemistry)	Member
7	Mrs. D. Anitha, Asst. Professor (Mathematics)	Member
8	Dr. P. G. Dhamotharan, Associate Professor (ARM)	Member
9	Ms. M. Priyadharshini, III Year B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture	Student Member

Library Committee

S.No	Name and Designation	Position
1.	Dr. B. J. Pandian, Principal	Chairman
2.	Mr. A. Balasubramanian, Executive Officer	Member
3.	Mr. C. Saravanan, AVP, Administrative Officer	Member
4.	Dr. S. Hemalatha, Assoc. Prof (SS&AC)	Member
5.	All HODs	Member
6.	Student Representatives	Member
7.	Librarian	Member Secretary

Institution Development committee

Campus Development Committee

S.No	Name and Designation	Position
1.	Mr. A. Balasubramanian, Executive Officer	Chairman
2.	Mr. C. Saravanan, Administrative Officer	Member
3.	Mr. P. Ramkumar, HR Manager	Member
4.	Mr. K. Gobalakrishnan, Asst. Professor (FOR)	Member
5.	Dr. P.G. Dhamotharan, Asst. Professor (ARM)	Member
6.	Dr. M. Kokila, Asst. Professor (SST)	Member
7.	Mr.A. Gopinath, Asst. Director (Physical Education)	Member
8.	Er.L. Mohan, Asst. Professor (Agrl. Engineering)	Member
9.	Dr.K.Shoban Chakravarthy, Asst. Professor (AGR)	Member
10.	Dr. V. Dhinesh, Asst. Professor (SAC)	Member
11.	Dr. V. Karthika, Asst. Professor (ENS)	Member

Sanitation and Services Committee

S.No	Name and Designation	Position
1.	Mr. P. Ramkumar, HR Manager	Chairman
2.	Mr. A. Balasubramanian, Executive Officer	Member
3.	Dr. S. Hemalatha, Asst. Professor (SS&AC)	Member
4.	Dr. P.Baskar, Asst. Professor (AGR)	Member
5.	Mr. V. Dhanasekar, Asst. Professor (AEN)	Member
6.	Mrs. M. Maheshwari, Asst. Professor (PAT)	Member
7.	Dr. P. Manju, Asst. Professor (ANM)	Member
8.	Mrs. R. Deepa, Asst. Professor (Biochemistry)	Member

IT and Security Committee

S.No	Name and Designation	Position
1.	Administrative Officer	Chairman
2.	Executive Officer	Member
3.	HR Manager	Member
4.	Staff Advisor	Member
5.	All year Coordinators	Member
6.	Mrs. P. Abarna, Asst. Professor (Maths)	Member
7.	Mr. P. Matheswaran, Asst. Engineer	Member

Space and Infrastructure Committee

S.No	Name and Designation	Position
1.	Mr. A. Balasubramanian, Executive Officer	Chairman
2.	Mr. P. Ramkumar, HR Manager	Member
3.	Dr.R. Paramasivam, Asst. Professor (AEC)	Member
4.	Dr. S. Selvakumar, Asst. Professor (AGR)	Member
5.	Dr. C. Sangeetha, Asst. Professor (AGR)	Member
6.	Mrs. M. Maheshwari, Asst. Professor (PAT)	Member
7.	Miss. T. Preethi Priyadharshini, Asst. Professor (AEX)	Member
8.	Dr. V. Suganya, Asst. Professor (CRP)	Member

KIA Publication Committee

S.No	Name and Designation	Position
1.	Principal, KIA	Chief Editor
2.	Dr. K. Senthil Kumar, Asst. Professor (PBG)	Editorial Board Head
3.	Dr.P.Baskar, Associate Professor (AGR)	Editorial Board Committee Members
4.	Dr. P. G. Dhamotharan, Associate Professor (ARM )	Editorial Board Committee Members
5.	Dr. S. Hemalatha, Associate Professor (SS&AC)	Editorial Board Committee Members
6.	Mrs.M.Maheshwari, Asst. Professor (PAT)	Editorial Board Committee Members
7.	Mr. V. Dhanasekar, Asst. Professor (AEN)	Editorial Board Committee Members
8.	Dr.V.Suganya, Asst, Professor (CRP)	Editorial Board Committee Members
9.	Ms.T.Preethi Priyadharshini, Asst. Professor (AEX)	Editorial Board Committee Members
10.	Dr.P.Manju, Asst. Professor (ANM)	Editorial Board Committee Members
11.	Dr.C.Sangeetha, Asst. Professor (AGR)	Editorial Board Committee Members
12.	Dr.R.Paramasivam, Asst. Professor (AEC)	Editorial Board Committee Members
13.	Dr.M.Kokila, A;st. Professor (SST)	Editorial Board Committee Members
14.	Mrs.R.Deepa, Asst. Professor (BIC)	Editorial Board Committee Members
15.	Dr.R,Priyanka, Asst. Professor (PAT)	Editorial Board Committee Members
16.	Er. L.Mohan, Asst. Professor (FPE)	Editorial Board Committee Members
17.	Dr.V.Karthika, Asst. Professor (ENS)	Editorial Board Committee Members
18.	Mr.K.Gobalakrishnan, Asst. Professor (FOR )	Editorial Board Committee Members
19.	Dr.S.Selvakumar, Asst. Professor (AGR)	Editorial Board Committee Members
20.	Dr.K,Shoban chakravarthy, Asst. Professor (AGR)	Editorial Board Committee Members
21.	Dr.V.Dhinesh, Asst. Professor (SAC)	Editorial Board Committee Members
22.	Mrs.C.Nandhini, Asst. Professor (STA)	Editorial Board Committee Members
23.	Dr.N.Arunkumar, Asst.Professor(AGM)	Editorial Board Committee Members
24.	Dr. R.P.Jagadeeshkanth, Asst. Professor (HOR)	Editorial Board Committee Members
25.	Ms.S.Indumathi, Asst. Professor (AEX)	Editorial Board Committee Members
26.	Dr.K.Elango, Asst. Professor (AEN)	Editorial Board Committee Members
27.	Er.S.Ramya, Asst. ‘Professor (SWE)	Editorial Board Committee Members
28.	Mr.J.Navaneethakrishnan, Asst.Professor(ABT)	Editorial Board Committee Members
29.	Dr. K.S.Usharani, Asst.’ Professor (PBG)	Editorial Board Committee Members
30.	Dr.R.Kasthurithilagam, Asst. Professor (FSN)	Editorial Board Committee Members
31.	Mrs. P.Bhavithra, Asst. Professor (HOR)	Editorial Board Committee Members
32.	Dr.P.Pavithradevi, Asst.Professor (AEN)	Editorial Board Committee Members
33.	Dr.C.Vinodhini, Asst. Professor(AEC)	Editorial Board Committee Members
34.	Ms.P.Megavarshini, Asst. Professor(ENG)	Editorial Board Committee Members
35.	Mr.S.Vigneshkumar, Asst. Professor(AEX)	Editorial Board Committee Members
36.	Mr.R.Abhishek, Asst. Professor(SS&AC)	Editorial Board Committee Members
37.	Th.A.Balasubramaniam, Executive Officer, KIA	Administrative Coordinator
38.	Th.C.Saravanan, Administrative Officer, KIA	Administrative Coordinator
39.	Mrs.T.Shanmugapriya.G, Exam cell -Assistant	Office Coordinator
40.	Mr.R.Maheswaran, Accountant	Accounts Coordinator

Website Content Upgradation Committee

S.No	Name and Designation	Position
1.	Mr. C. Saravanan, Administrative Officer	Chairman
2.	Dr.K.Shoban chakravarthy, Asst. Professor	Member
3.	Mr.P.Matheswaran , Asst. Engineer	Member

Hostel Executive Committee

S.No	Committee Members	Position
1.	Principal	Chief Warden
2.	Executive Officer	Member
3.	Administrative Officer	Member
4.	Mess Warden (Boys and Girls Hostel)	Member
5.	Residential Tutor (Boys and Girls Hostel)	Member
6.	Academic Coordinator	Member
7.	Asst. Director (Physical Education)	Member
8.	All the Year Coordinators	Members
9.	Deputy Warden (Boys and Girls Hostel)	Member secretary

Anti-Ragging committee

1.	Dr. Ravi Kumar Theodore, Principal	Chairman
2.	Dr. S. Hemalatha, Vice Principal	Co-Chairman
3.	Dr. K. Shoban Chakravarthy, Asst. Professor (AGR) – Academic Coordinator	Convenor
4.	Mrs. M. Maheshwari, Asst. Professor (PAT) – Deputy Warden, Girls Hostel	Co-Convenor
5.	Dr. K. Elango, Asst. Professor (AEN) – IV Year Coordinator (2021 Batch)	Member
6.	Miss. S. Indumathi, Asst. Professor (AEX) – IV Year Coordinator (2021 Batch) & RT (Girls Hostel)	Member
7.	Dr. K. S. Usharani, Asst. Professor (PBG) – III Year Coordinator (2022 Batch)	Member
8.	Dr. R. Kasthuri Thilagam, Asst. Professor (FSN) – III Year Coordinator (2022 Batch)	Member
9.	Mr. K. Gobala Krishnan, Asst. Professor (FOR) – III Year Coordinator (2022 Batch) & Mess Warden, Boys Hostel	Member
10.	Dr. P. Manju, Asst. Professor (ANM) – II Year Coordinator (2023 Batch)	Member
11.	Dr. C. Vinodhini, Asst. Professor (AEC) – II Year Coordinator (2023 Batch)	Member
12.	Dr. R. Priyanka, Asst. Professor (PAT) – I Year Coordinator (2024 Batch)	Member
13.	Dr. R. P. Jagadeeshkanth, Asst. Professor & Head (HOR) – I Year Coordinator (2024 Batch)	Member
14.	Dr. V. Dhinesh, Asst. Professor (SAC) – Deputy Warden, Boys Hostel	Member
15.	Dr. S. Vijay, Asst. Professor (AEX) – RT (Boys Hostel)	Member
16.	Dr. N. Gowrisri, Asst. Professor (PAT) – Mess Warden, Girls Hostel	Member
17.	Mr. A. Wilson Sagayaraj, Sub-Inspector, B-6 – Appakudal Police Station, Erode District	Member

Timeline

Kumaraguru Institute of Agriculture

Our Journey & Milestones

A timeline celebrating the establishment, growth, achievements and academic milestones of KIA from 2014 to 2024.

KIA | Milestones and History

2014

Establishment of KIA

Kumaraguru Institute of Agriculture (KIA) was established at Sakthinagar, Erode District, and began functioning on 8 September 2014 with 60 students (23 boys and 37 girls). Classes for the 2014–15 first-year batch commenced on the same day.
Initially, KIA functioned from the second floor of the Sakthi Polytechnic College (SPC) building at Sakthinagar.
Dr. P. Sivasubramanian, retired Director of Agri Business Development, TNAU, Coimbatore, joined as KIA’s first Executive Officer on 30 August 2014.
Dr. P. Venkatachalam, Professor (Bio-Energy), TNAU, joined as the first Dean on 8 September 2014 and served until 14 October 2014.
Dr. T. R. Shanmugam, Professor (Agricultural Economics), TNAU, joined as Dean on 13 November 2014.
Two regular scientists joined during 2014: Dr. P. Baskar, Assistant Professor (Agronomy), and Mr. T. Kamalakannan, Assistant Professor (Horticulture).

2015

Early campus and student milestones

KIA students participated in Talentia at AC&RI, Madurai, on 6 February 2015. V. Vasanth of I B.Sc. (Ag.) won second prize in English poetry writing.
The first College Day, Sports Day and Annual Day were held on 13 May 2015. Thiru T. Stalin Gunasekaran, Managing Director, Makkal Sinthanai Peravai, Erode, was Chief Guest.
An orchard with a range of fruit-tree seedlings was established at North Farm in June 2015.
The Automatic Weather Station was shifted to North Farm and installed inside the Meteorological Observatory on 10 October 2015.
A dairy unit was established with three cows and a calf on 15 October 2015.
The KIA Rotaract Club was inaugurated on 29 December 2015. By the end of the year, 13 scientists from different disciplines were employed at KIA.

2016

Academic infrastructure expands

Thiru A. Balasubramaniam, R&D Manager, Sakthi Sugars Ltd., joined as Executive Officer in-charge on 18 January 2016, succeeding Dr. P. Sivasubramanian.
Bhoomi pooja for Phase I of the 25,000 sq. ft. Academic Building was held on 2 May 2016.
The KIA website, www.kia.ac.in, was launched on 5 May 2016.
The first NSS Special Camp was held at Oricheri village from 23–31 May for the 2014–15 batch’s second-year students.
Dr. N. Asoka Raja, Professor (Agronomy), TNAU, joined as Dean on 6 July 2016, succeeding Dr. T. R. Shanmugam.
Orientation Day for the 2016–17 first-year batch was held on 4 August. Chief Guests were Thiru V. K. Subburaj, IAS (Retd.), and Dr. M. Manickam, Executive Chairman, Sakthi Group of Companies.
Three acres at South Farm were converted into wetland, where third-year students raised a rice crop for their Crop Production course.
The Tissue Culture Lab was opened by Dr. M. Manickam on 27 September 2016.
Mushroom, poultry and vermicompost units, along with a goat shed, were established in November 2016.
The first Students’ Club was inaugurated on 27 December 2016 by Dr. P. Pandiyarajan, Dean, ADAC&RI, Trichy. KIA employed 22 scientists by the end of the year.

2017

New campus, research and outreach

Dr. M. Manickam inaugurated the Integrated Farming System (IFS) Unit at South Farm on 28 January.
A National Science Day exhibition was held on 28 February, visited by students from Sakthi Polytechnic College and Sakthi Higher Secondary School.
International Forest Day was observed on 21 March with mass tree planting at North Farm. World Water Day was celebrated on 22 March with Er. S. Sivalingam, Deputy Chief Engineer, PWD, as Chief Guest.
Dr. Ravi Kumar Theodore, Professor (Agricultural Extension) and Directorate Coordinator, TRRI, TNAU, joined as Dean on 23 March.
Pooja for the new Academic Building and bhoomi pooja for the Girls Hostel were held on 23 April in the presence of Thiru M. Balasubramaniam, MD, Sakthi Group of Companies.
Phase I of the KIA Academic Building was completed in May 2017, and the college moved from the Sakthi Polytechnic College building. Phase II began in May: a 35,000 sq. ft. building with ground plus two floors, 12 laboratories and two smart classrooms.
Construction of the Girls Hostel began in May. The 25,000 sq. ft. ground-plus-first-floor building has 46 rooms and capacity for 160 students.
The NSS Special Camp was held at P. Vellalapalayam village, Gobichettipalayam, from 23–31 May for the 2015–16 batch.
A 800 sq. ft. dairy shed for around 10 cows was opened by Dr. A. Abdul Kareem, former Vice-Chancellor, TNAU, on 18 December. A piggery unit with five pigs was also added at South Farm.
The Placement Cell was established to support study circles, Nobel Vision sessions, competitive-exam coaching, campus interviews and higher-education counselling.
DST, New Delhi, sanctioned KIA’s first externally funded project on biotechnological valorization of molasses distillery spent wash into single-cell oil, with a budget of ₹22.63 lakh. Dr. M. Iniya Kumar was Principal Investigator.
Annual Day, Sports Day and Hostel Day were held on 5 July. International Yoga Day was observed on 21 June, and a two-day Book Fair was organized on 30–31 October.
The Institutional Funded Research (IFR) programme began to support small-scale, short-term, low-budget research projects.
The first Rural Agricultural Work Experience (RAWE) programme ran from 17 August to 14 November. Fifty-seven final-year students were placed in 10 blocks across Erode, Salem and Coimbatore districts.
The first ATMA farmers’ training at KIA, on Integrated Crop Management in vegetables, was held on 15 September for 40 farmers with the State Department of Horticulture.
The Parthenium Eradication Brigade was started on 31 May, and Wi-Fi was provided in the Academic Building from 24 September.
Agri Nova ’17 welcomed the 2017–18 batch on 23 September and announced the college magazine title “Narumugizh”. Study Circles orientation and Nobel Vision lectures also began.
Dr. S. Babu, Director, Agri-Centre, VIT, visited on 17 November to discuss research opportunities and funding. World Soil Day was observed on 5 December with Dr. S. Chellamuthu as Chief Guest.
The first All India Study Tour for final-year students of the 2014–15 batch ran from 18 November to 5 December, visiting institutions in Hyderabad, New Delhi, Dehradun, Jaipur, Shimla and Haryana. KIA employed 25 scientists during 2017.

2018

Facilities, training and student achievements

The new Girls Hostel was completed, and students moved in during January 2018.
A one-day Organic Farming training was conducted on 11 January with the State Department of Horticulture and Uyir Organic Farmers Market for around 40 farmers.
Selvi P. V. Santhya of II B.Sc. (Ag.) was selected for the TNAU Kho-Kho team and represented the University at the All India Inter-University Athletic Championship in Bengaluru.
KIA presented its first exhibition stall at Kongu Nattu Kalnadai Thiruvizha, Samathur, Pollachi, on 8–10 February.
A Home Medicinal Garden was established on 18 February across 35 cents.
At the SIICA tournament, M. Ashokarajan won first place in boys’ javelin and P. V. Santhya won second place in girls’ javelin. The girls’ Kho-Kho team was runner-up; KIA students also achieved relay, badminton and cricket placements.
KIA students participated in SPORAG at Annamalai University (28 February–3 March), PRBANDHAZ at TNAU (23–24 February), and TALENTIA at AC&RI, Madurai (9–10 March), winning prizes at TALENTIA.
National Science Day was celebrated on 28 February with Dr. M. V. Ranghaswami, Dean of Agricultural Engineering, Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, as Chief Guest.
On 14 March, Thiru M. Balasubramanian met KIA scientists, ABTIL staff and Sakthi Sugars representatives to discuss proposed research activities.
All laboratories moved to the Academic Block in March after Phase II construction was completed. TCH 1819 cotton was grown at South Farm for the Crop Production course.
Integrated Farming System training was conducted for farmers of Chennimalai Block on 27 March and Bhavani Block on 18 April, in association with the State Department of Horticulture.
The NSS Special Camp was held at Ammapalayam village, Gobichettipalayam taluk, from 21–27 April for the 2016–17 batch.
The Students’ Seminar series began on 7 April, led by 10 third-year students who had attended the Agripreneurship Convention at TNAU. KIA had 27 scientists at the time.

2019

Academic and student-life milestones

Annual Club Day, Sports Day and Hostel Day were held on 4 June. Dr. K. Venkatasubramanian, Principal Scientist, Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, was Chief Guest.
A TNAU Standing Committee visited KIA on 2 May to review academic matters.
Dr. P. Venkatachalam, retired Professor (Bioenergy), TNAU, took charge as Principal on 1 June.
The 2015 batch farewell was held on 9 June, and a farewell for former Dean Dr. Ravi Kumar Theodore was held on 28 June.
International Yoga Day was observed on 21 June. Dr. C. Ramasamy, former Vice-Chancellor, TNAU, visited on 11 July for consultancy on ICAR accreditation. Thiru M. Balasubramaniam visited on 24 July.
The 2019–20 batch of 120 first-year students joined on 21 August. Teachers’ Day was celebrated on 5 September.
Agri Nova for the new batch was held on 3 October, with Thiru V. Thiruvenkadam, Senior General Manager, Sakthi Sugars Ltd., as guest.
A Parents–Teachers Meeting for II B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture students was held on 4 October. The Sexual Harassment Committee met on 15 November.
World Soil Day was observed on 5 December under the theme “Stop Soil Erosion; Save Our Future”, with Dr. A. K. Mani as honoured guest.
The 2016 batch undertook its All India Study Tour from 3–21 December, and KIA students participated in the TNAU Inter-Collegiate Tournament from 19–24 December.

2020

Campus activities

The exhibition of the RAWE programme for the 2016 batch was held on 3 January 2020.
Pongal celebrations were held on 11 January.
Twenty KIA scientists participated in the Indo-Israel Conference at KCT on 29 January.
The Students’ Club was inaugurated on 30 January by Dr. L. Pugalendhi, Dean (Horticulture), TNAU, who inducted the club office-bearers.
Rice Field Day was observed on 20 February, and International Women’s Day was celebrated on 6 March 2020.

2021

Graduation and student recognition

KIA held its first Graduation Day on 30 October 2021 through virtual mode.
Mr. C. Avinash and Mr. S. P. Sharan of the 2017 batch received ICAR-JRF fellowships to pursue master’s programmes in Environmental Sciences and Agricultural Physics at IARI, New Delhi.
Agricultural Education Day was observed on 3 December for higher-secondary students at Sakthi Higher Secondary School, Natchimuthupuram, Appakudal, Erode District.
COVID-19 vaccination camps were organized at KIA on 30 September, 3 October, 29 October and 1 December to promote vaccination among students and staff.

2022

Innovation and academic development

International Women’s Day was celebrated on 8 March under the theme “Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow”.
A Faculty Induction Programme for newly appointed faculty was held on 15–16 February.
Swagatham 2022 welcomed the 2021–22 I B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture batch on 18 April.
Agrathon, a national-level agro-based idea presentation contest addressing current agricultural challenges, was conducted on 28 May.
World Environment Day was observed on 4 June with a campus vegetable nursery, stem-cutting preparation and the “One Student, One Tree” initiative. The Mahatma Gandhi National Council of Rural Education, Government of India, congratulated the institution and coordinators for their activities.
A national seminar, “Soils: Where Food Begins”, was held on 2–3 December with scientists from across India presenting and publishing soil-science research.

2023

Research, outreach and alumni

National Science Day was celebrated on 28 February under the theme “Global Science for Global Wellbeing”.
The NSS Special Camp was held from 4–10 January at adopted village Oricheriputhur, Bhavani Taluk, with the motto “Not for Me, but for You”.
With support from Young Indians, Erode Chapter, KIA organized Agrathon 2023 and a Millet Conclave on 17 May.
A Book Exhibition was held on 20 May to mark World Book Day.
Swagatham on 14 September welcomed KIA’s 10th batch of B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture students.
National Nutrition Week was celebrated from 1–7 September under the theme “Healthy Diet Gawing Affordable for All”.
KIA held its inaugural alumni meet on 23 December, bringing together graduates from the 2014–2019 batches.
Agriculture Education Day was commemorated on 4 December.

2024

Affiliation and institutional leadership

TNAU granted KIA permanent affiliation for four years, from academic year 2023–24 to 2026–27, with approval from the 199th Board of Management of TNAU.
On 16 March, 92 meritorious KIA students in curricular and co-curricular activities received Mahatma Gandhi Merit Scholarships for academic year 2022–23.
The 13th Board of Studies meeting was held at KIA on 30 April.
World Bee Day was celebrated on 20 May at a farmer’s field near Kallipatti, Gobichettipalayam, under the theme “Bee Engaged with Youth”.
Dr. S. Hemalatha took charge as Vice Principal on 15 May.
World Environment Day was celebrated on 5 June under the theme “Our Land, Our Future”.
The 2025 batch joined KIA as the college’s 11th batch.
Dr. Ravi Kumar Theodore assumed charge as Principal of KIA on 26 December 2024.

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Vice Principal

Dr. S. Hemalatha, Ph.D

Dr. S. Hemalatha’s academic journey began with her undergraduate studies at Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural College & Research Institute, Tiruchirappalli. She continued her academic pursuits by completing her postgraduate and Ph.D. studies in the Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry at TNAU, specializing in soil fertility.

With her Ph.D. obtained in 2012, Dr. Hemalatha embarked on her professional journey as a research associate at the Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, TNAU, Coimbatore. This laid the foundation for her subsequent career advancements.

Dr. Hemalatha, who joined Kumaraguru Institute of Agriculture on January 2, 2015, has exhibited exemplary dedication and leadership over her 9 1/2 years of service.During her tenure as an Assistant Professor (SS&AC) at KIA, she assumed additional responsibilities, serving as the Deputy Warden (Girls) and Staff Advisor.

Accomplishments

Academic

Recognized for her outstanding contributions, Dr. Hemalatha’s journey at KIA saw her rise through the ranks. In October 2021, she was promoted to Associate Professor, and in December 2023, she was appointed as the Head of Academic Administration. Further solidifying her position, in May 2024, she was elevated to the esteemed role of Vice Principal of KIA.

Research

Dr. Hemalatha’s professional achievements extend beyond her administrative roles. She has been actively engaged in handling institutional-funded projects and has successfully completed one externally funded project. Additionally, she has a prolific publication record, with over 15 research papers and 20 popular articles to her credit.

Dr. Hemalatha’s dedication to academia has been recognized through various awards and accolades, including the prestigious EngalAasan Award and the Best Faculty Teaching Award from Kumaraguru Institutions. Her expertise and contributions have been acknowledged at national forums, including receiving the Junior Scientist Award from the National Environmental Science Academy, Delhi, in 2015.