Srinagar, Oct 14 (KNS): Jammu and Kashmir Agriculture Minister Javed Ahmad Dar on Wednesday said the government was working to resolve a nearly two-decade-old recruitment dispute in the Agriculture Department, including the proposed abolition of around 560 posts and changes in the recruitment quota, but acknowledged that pending court cases and administrative complications continued to delay fresh appointments.

Speaking exclusively to Kashmir News Service (KNS) amid protests by agriculture graduates at the Wadura campus over the delay in recruitment, Dar said the government had proposed restoring the 50:50 ratio between direct recruitment and departmental promotion in the gazetted cadre, while also pursuing measures to protect vacancies in the non-gazetted cadre.

The minister said the issue had remained unresolved for nearly 20 years and could not be settled immediately, although the government was making efforts to address the grievances of unemployed agriculture graduates.

"This is a 20-year-old issue. It has not been created overnight. Such an old issue will take some time to resolve," Dar told KNS.

Explaining the recruitment dispute, Dar said the Agriculture Department earlier followed a 50:50 arrangement for gazetted posts, with half the vacancies filled through direct recruitment and the remaining half through departmental promotion.

However, the recruitment rules were subsequently changed, reportedly around 2007, increasing the promotion quota to 80 per cent and reducing direct recruitment to 20 per cent.

He said the change triggered litigation and contributed to the prolonged disruption of recruitment.

"We have tried to restore the 50:50 ratio so that 50 per cent of the posts are filled through direct recruitment and 50 per cent through promotion," the minister said.

Dar said a formal proposal had been prepared and forwarded to the concerned authorities. Queries raised during its examination had also been answered by the department.

However, he acknowledged that litigation remained pending, with some departmental employees seeking retention of the existing 80:20 arrangement.

The minister said the government was also examining complications involving non-gazetted posts, particularly those affected by the regularisation of employees appointed under the Rehbar-e-Ziraat scheme.

He explained that the Junior Agriculture Extension Officer (JAEO) post had earlier served as an entry-level position in the department.

Following the introduction of the Rehbar-e-Ziraat scheme and subsequent regularisation of its beneficiaries, the recruitment and promotion structure underwent significant changes.

Dar said direct recruitment to the relevant cadre had effectively remained stalled for years as the department accommodated employees appointed under the scheme.

Referring to a committee constituted in 2020, the minister said around 560 Agriculture Extension Assistants (AEAs) were promoted to the Junior Agriculture Extension Officer cadre.

He said the committee had recommended abolishing the posts that became vacant following these promotions, treating the arrangement as a one-time dispensation for Rehbar-e-Ziraat employees.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

However, the Agriculture Department opposed the proposal, arguing that abolishing the vacancies would adversely affect future recruitment and promotion opportunities.

Dar said the matter was subsequently examined by the Finance Department, which raised observations that were answered by the Agriculture Department.

He clarified that no formal order abolishing the posts had been issued.

In a significant development, the minister said the matter had recently been taken up with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who agreed that the posts should not be abolished.

"We wrote to the Chief Minister, and he agreed that these posts should not be abolished," Dar told KNS.

The minister said retaining the posts was necessary to prevent further restrictions on recruitment and career progression within the department.

He also acknowledged prolonged delays in Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meetings, saying the absence of timely promotions had resulted in stagnation and saturation across different levels of the Agriculture Department.

Dar said the government was examining another departmental proposal alongside the recruitment and promotion issues to find a comprehensive solution.

He maintained that the dispute involved both gazetted and non-gazetted cadres and could not be resolved by addressing only one category of posts.

"We will do it for the gazetted as well as the non-gazetted cadre," he said.

The minister said repeated litigation over the years had further complicated the process, requiring the department to examine service rules, promotion structures and pending legal matters before referring vacancies for recruitment.

He said the government intended to refer eligible vacancies to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) and the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB), depending on the category of posts.

Dar acknowledged the frustration among unemployed agriculture graduates who have been protesting over the delay in recruitment.

He said the government had been working on the issue for the past one-and-a-half years, while a dedicated team had been examining the outstanding matters for around eight months.

The minister said his office, administrative secretaries and other senior officials were involved in resolving the dispute.

"I agree that it has taken a lot of time. It has been 15 to 16 years. But several complications, including stagnation and litigation, have arisen during this period," he said.

Dar urged protesting students to remain patient, assuring them that efforts were underway to resolve the recruitment impasse.

He expressed confidence that a solution would emerge soon but did not announce a specific date for issuing recruitment notifications or referring the vacancies to the recruiting agencies.(KNS)