Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 25 Aug: The Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission’s (APPSC) recent advertisement for recruitment to eight posts of agriculture development officers (ADO) has sparked a row as agriculture graduates are claiming deprivation.
The APPSC advertised eight posts of ADOs on 25 July, specifically mentioning that the applicant should have a BSc agriculture degree from any recognised university accredited by the Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR).
Unemployed agriculture graduates are claiming that the new eligibility criterion set by the commission for the ADOs’ posts is an act of “arbitrarily” depriving them and disqualifying them from competing.
The commission had conducted recruitment for more than 40 ADO posts in 2021, wherein the ICAR eligibility criterion was not made mandatory.
The non-ICAR accredited university and college graduate applicants are claiming that there are currently more than 2,000 unemployed agriculture graduates, “out of which, maximum numbers are from universities and colleges not accredited by the ICAR.”
The All Arunachal Agriculture Students’ Welfare Association had submitted a representation to the agriculture minister recently, seeking rectification of the eligibility criteria that has kept out thousands of graduates from participating in the competition.
The association also sought temporary suspension of recruitment for the ADO posts. It further sought establishment of an ICAR accredited educational institution in Arunachal Pradesh for agriculture students.
Seeking the government’s intervention in the recruitment of other Grade B, C and D posts, the association claimed that the non-ICAR accredited institutes’ graduates are being deprived from taking part in Group B, C and D posts’ interview.
When contacted, the APPSC said that the advertisement “was given as per the department recruitment rules.”
“We are waiting for the clarification from the department,” said an APPSC official.
Sources in the department said that the matter would be placed in the cabinet on Friday.
