Department of Family Resource Management

The department originally named as Home Management was set up in 1970 and since then it is performing the diversified role of teaching, research and extension. Originally department was offering courses to B.Sc. 5 year programme, B.Sc. 3 year programme, M.Sc. and also to the students of Farm Women Training Programme 1 year Certificate course. Ph.D. programme in the department was started in 1978 and again revived in 1991. From 1998 onwards department is offering courses to the under-graduate students under 3+1 stream in which courses were reframed to give more of hands-on-training experience to the elective students.

Since 1970, till date around 196 M. Sc students and 28 Ph. D. students have completed their degrees successfully. The major research areas of the department are: ergonomics, energy conservation, family environment, anthropometry, body mechanics, work simplification, work station designing, household equipment, consumer behaviour, geriatrics, housing and space designing, interior decoration and management of various family resources. In 2002 one year diploma in ‘Interior Decoration’ was started in the department (presently suspended).

Under the new programme of studies, department is offering courses for B.Sc. 6 year programme and 2+2 B.Sc. (Hons.) Home Science 4 Year programme and a specialization of ‘Ergonomics’ and ‘Resource Management’ at PG level. Environmental Sciences and Personal Grooming are two new courses added at UG level. The department had organized a number of symposia/seminars/summer institutes for the benefit of the intellectuals at the national level. These are:

i) Symposium on ‘Household Equipment for Better Homes’.
ii) Seminar-cum-Workshop on ‘Improving the Household Equipment’.
iii) Seminar cum Workshop on ‘Social, Cultural and Economic Aspects of House Design, ICAR, co-sponsored by Institute of Engineers (India).
iv) Summer institute on the ‘Improvement of Managerial Practices of Rural Families for the Development of Agriculture’ (sponsored by ICAR).
v) National Seminar ‘Home Management Research: Major Thrust Areas (sponsored by ICSSR, Chandigarh).
vi) National Workshop on ‘Anthropometry and Use of Ergonomic Equipment for the Assessment of Cost of Household Work.
vii) National Workshop on ‘Ergonomics Applied to Home’. Sponsored by ICAR, New Delhi.
viii) The short course on “Advanced trends in interior design technologies” organised in the Family Resource Management sponsored by ICAR.