India Appoints First Mushroom Scientist as Director of BSI.

In a landmark decision, the Government of India has appointed Dr. Kanad Das, a mycologist specializing in mushrooms, as the 13th Director of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI). This makes him the first mycologist to head the institute since its inception.

      - The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet cleared Dr. Kanad Das’s appointment on September 6, 2025, marking a major step for fungal sciences in India.

Main Point :-   (i) Dr. Das is an expert in taxonomy of wild mushrooms, with a record of discovering over 160 new mushroom species and authoring more than 170 research papers.

      (ii) As Director, he intends to fast-track digitization of BSI’s herbarium collections, expand fungal surveys, and strengthen India’s botanical and mycological research base.

(iii) The BSI operates under the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC), with headquarters in Kolkata and multiple regional centres across India.