Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Feb 16: For the reasons best known to the persons at the helm of affairs in the Government administration, the proposal of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) Jammu for much required additional faculties, has been made hostage to the process of seeking repeated queries for the last one decade.
The formal proposal of SKUAST-Jammu for approval to at least two more faculties and one division, is still awaiting nod of the Agriculture Production Department and the Planning Department since 2006 notwithstanding the detailed and point wise justification of the proposal as well as reply to all the queries with regard to required staff strength and budget estimates for the same.
What makes this issue as apparent discrimination and step motherly treatment with this region of the State, is the fact that the demand of SKUAST-Jammu remains entangled in the web of queries whereas five more faculties were sanctioned to SKUAST-Kashmir during this period.
At the time of bifurcation of the State Agriculture University into SKUAST Jammu and SKUAST Kashmir in 1999, both the varsities had two faculties each; Faculty of Agriculture and Faculty of Veterinary Science. While the SKUAST-Jammu is still having only two faculties, SKUAST Kashmir has got additional Faculty of Horticulture, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Dairy Technology, Faculty of Fisheries and Faculty of Forestry.
Despite repeated submission of the proposal along with required staff strength and budget estimate for sanction of the new faculties and divisions, the Departments of Agriculture Production and Planning have been delaying the approval by resorting to queries.
The issues with regard to sanctioning of the Faculty of Horticulture, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Dairy Technology and a Division of Seed Science Technology was deliberated for the first time in the 4th Academics Council of SKUAST- J in May 2005. In August 2005, the proposal was approved by the Board of Management and on first of December of the same year, it was formally submitted to Agricultural Production Department, Government of J&K.
In 2006, SKUAST-J wrote a letter to Agriculture Production Department for concurrence of the Planning Department and asked for sanction. On May 23, 2008, APD asked for staff strength / and Budget requirement, which were submitted by SKUAST-J on May 29, 2008.
In 2009, SKUAST-J submitted staff strength and budget requirement to Director Planning also and in the wake of some queries, the same was resubmitted to Director Planning in 2010.
On 21-10-2011, a meeting was held with then Agricultural Minister following which the proposal was resubmitted to Principal Secretary APD. However, there was no positive development as APD again put so many repeated queries, which were also answered by SKUAST-J in December 2012.
In 2013, APD / Planning again asked for Budget / Post requirements that were submitted by SKUAST-J in April 2013. In June 2013, revised proposal was again submitted to APD along with Posts requirement and Budget estimate. However, in March 2014, APD again asked for resubmission of Proposal for faculties that was again submitted by SKUAST-J in March 2014.
Thereafter in 2015, point wise justification along with the copy of norms for creation of staff required for faculties was again submitted by SKUAST Jammu to Director Planning and APD. Besides, SKUAST Teaching Associ-ation Jammu deliberated the matter with Governor N N Vohra in April 2015 and then Deputy Chief Minister of J&K in May 2015.
However, despite all these communications and representations, these is zero progress on the matter as the State Government has not sanctioned required faculties to SKUAST-Jammu till date, for the reasons best known to the concerned authorities.
According to the SKUAST-Jammu Vice-Chancellor, Prof Pardeep K Sharma, the university has been vigorously pursuing the matter and replies of all queries with regard to required staff strength and budget estimates have been submitted for the response of concerned authorities.
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