[ Bengia Ajum ]
ITANAGAR, 19 Sep: The land donors of the Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK) in Kurung Kumey and Dibang Valley districts have alleged that Agriculture & Horticulture Minister Tage Taki “interfered in the recently concluded recruitment for the posts of staffers in the two KVKs.”
The recruitment was conducted by the agriculture department, even though the State Horticulture Research & Development Institute (SHRDI) is the host institute for the KVKs in Kurung Kumey and Dibang Valley, and is supposed to carry out the recruitment process as per the ICAR guidelines.
Speaking to this daily, the land donors alleged that, in the recently conducted interview for KVK staffers, “many candidates who got selected were parachuted from above, while the original list of candidates did not contain their names.”
“Many of the selected candidates are from his own constituency, and, to be precise, it constitutes 31 percent of the total posts, and if the waiting list is included, it is almost 62 percent of total posts, which clearly shows his interference. We, the land donors, believe that till he is in the chair, no fair exam is possible,” the land donors stated.
The land donors said that they have decided “not to allow any illegally appointed candidates” to enter the KVK farms donated by them, and warned that if any untoward incident occurs owing to this, the minister would be solely responsible.
“The minister, by interfering in KVK matters, is putting serious hurdles to the smooth establishment of the KVK in Kurung Kumey and Dibang Valley districts, which will hamper the welfare of farmers of these districts. The action of the minister is contrary to the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is constantly encouraging farmers to adopt scientific means and approaches in farming,” the land donors said.
They alleged that Taki “is working for his own interest, without caring for the welfare of the department, or the farmers, or the students.”
They have sought the minister’s resignation, claiming that they have lost faith in him, and that “fair recruitment will not be done till he continues to hold the post.”
The land donors warned that they would launch a democratic protest, “starting in the districts, and moving to the state capital Itanagar, and finally going to New Delhi to report the matter to the prime minister and the union agriculture minister.”
“Our protest is not against any individual appointee or any community the individual appointee belongs to. In fact, it is the minister who is discriminating and depriving the rights of generous local land donors and candidates of two respective districts in particular and others in general,” they added.
The land donors also announced that they have, at the request of the SHRDI, reviewed their decision to take back the land for the establishment of Krishi Vigyan Kendras, and gave assurance that, “as already agreed, the land will remain with the SHRDI with a request that the SHRDI should conduct the recruitment interview by itself by properly following the guidelines of ICAR.”
Last month, the land donors had announced to withdraw the consent given for the establishment of the KVKs in Kurung Kumey and Dibang Valley on their private properties. They had alleged that the state government failed to keep the promises made to them at the time of the donation of land.
In a letter to the SHRDI, the land donors of both the districts expressed bitterness over the failure to keep the promises that had been made to them in lieu of donating land.
Responding to the allegation, the minister’s OSD claimed that “recruitment of the candidates was done by a duly constituted board, as per the laid down procedures,” and that “there is no question of the minister interfering in the selection procedure.”
“The selection was done purely based on the merits of the candidates. There is no question of the minister, who is working tirelessly for the welfare of the farmers, putting any hurdles in the creation of any KVK. In order to ensure that these two KVKs are functionalised, some Grade IV posts are reserved for the land donors,” the OSD said.
