Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Apr 6: The State Government disregards Masters Degrees of its two State Agriculture Universities – SKUAST-K and SKUAST-J – and those of the leading State Agriculture Universities of the country with the degree holders of private colleges, majority of them not recognized by Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), getting selected in Horticulture Department.
Over 200 post graduates of SKUAST-K, SKUAST-J and other State Agriculture Universities across the country who have studied horticulture have been left in-eligible for posts of Horticulture Development Officers in the Department of Horticulture due to change in the nomenclature by the Government.
The State Government changed recruitment rules in 2002 (Vide SRO 161 dated 23/04/2002) for the appointment of Horticulture Development Officers in the department of horticulture. Instead of BSc Agriculture /BSc Horticulture minimum qualification required for the post was changed to M Sc Horticulture and in case of non-availability it has been kept as BSc Agriculture /BSc Horticulture.
This has left over 200 candidates ineligible for the post of Horticulture Development Officers in the department of horticulture. Majority of these candidates have crossed the age limit for recruitment in any Government Department.
Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) (under Notifications 4 PSC of 2006 dated 26-05-2006, 5 PSC of 2009 dated 02-02-2009, 24 PSC of 2011 dated 09-12-2011 and 10 PSC of 2013 dated 02-06-2013) advertised 104 posts of Horticulture Development Officers in the department of horticulture since the Government changed its recruitment rules.
The aggrieved candidates knocked the door of Jammu and Kashmir High Court in 2009 and after its intervention, the PSC also interviewed the aggrieved candidates but kept recruitment of 7 selected candidates withheld. So far the decision of the court regarding these 7 selected candidates is pending.
The PSC has selected (list issued by PSC18/01/2010) the candidates with Masters degree in Horticulture but left others who had degrees from State Universities of the country despite having studied same courses.
For instance the recruitment of Khursheed Ahmad Mir, M Sc (Vegetable Science) from one of the leading State Universities of the country, Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana Punjab was kept withheld under HC directions by the PSC. Another candidate Manzoor Ahmad Wani with same degree, M Sc Horticulture (Vegetable Science), from Allababad Agriculture, Deemed University was selected.
Another candidate’s, Khursheed Ahmad Zargar, M Sc (Pomology) from SKUAST-K, recruitment was also kept withheld under HC orders by PSC but a candidate, Masrat Jabeen with same degree, M Sc Horticulture (Pomology), from Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solen, HP, was selected.
However, the court has stayed the recruitment on 32 posts of Horticulture Development Officers in the department of horticulture advertised (under notification numbers 24 PSC of 2011 dated 09-12-2011 and 10 PSC of 2013 dated 02-06-2013) in 2011 and 2013.
The SKUAST-K, SKUAST-J and other State universities across the country have been issuing degrees in M Sc Agriculture (Pomology), M Sc Agriculture (Olericulture), M Sc Agriculture (Floriculture and landscaping) and M Sc Agriculture (PHT) and all these are different branches of the Horticulture.
The SKUAST-K, in order to help its post graduate students, however, changed the nomenclature of the degrees issued to PG students of Horticulture faculty in 2011 while SKUAST-J has not changed it so far making the students of the Jammu region to suffer.
The SKUAST-K, in 2011, on the recommendations of Academic Council and approved by Board of Management changed the nomenclature of the degrees after Government rejected the candidates with Agriculture Degrees eligible for post of Horticulture Development Officer.
The SKUAST-K (under order no.17 (Acad) of 2011 dated 15-09-2011) renamed the M Sc (Agri) Pomology as M Sc Horticulture (Fruit Science),
M Sc (Agri) Floriculture and landscaping as M Sc Horticulture (Floriculture and landscaping Architecture) and M Sc (Agri) Olericulture as renamed as M Sc Horticulture (Vegetable Science).
In order to help the students of batches between 2006 and 2011, SKUAST-K (University order no. 08 (Acad) of 2014 dated 24-03-2014) declared the degrees issued prior to change of nomenclature in 2011 equal to those issued before. “…the degrees with old names/nomenclature should be treated same as the degrees with new name/nomenclature”, reads the order.
“The degrees with old name/nomenclature of M Sc (Agri) Pomology, M Sc (Agri) Floriculture and Landscaping and M Sc (Agri) Olericulture have new names/nomenclature of M Sc Horticulture (Fruit Science), M Sc Horticulture (Floriculture and Landscaping Architecture) and M Sc Horticulture (Vegetable Science) respectively”, the order says.
The Government is not considering these candidates eligible for the posts of Horticulture Development Officers in the Department of Horticulture despite ICAR declaring them as the same.
The director of Central Institute of Temperature Horticulture, ICAR in response of a Government communication (Agri/Horti/Gen/13/2012-II dated 25-09-2013) regarding the degrees issued by the SKUAST-K and SKUAST-J says (F.No./PS/DIR/MMI/503 dated 30-09-2013) that M Sc Agri (Pomology)/M Sc (Pomology)/ M Sc Agri (Pomology and PHT) are same as M Sc Horticulture (Pomology/Fruit Science), M Sc Agri (Olericulture/Vegetable Sciences)/M Sc (Vegetable Crops) are same as M Sc Horticulture (Vegetable Science), M Sc Agri (Floriculture and landscaping)/M Sc (Floriculture and landscaping) are same as M Sc Horticulture (Floriculture and landscaping) and M Sc Agri (Post Harvest Technology)/M Sc (Post Harvest Technology) are same as M Sc Horticulture (Post Harvest Technology).
Khursheed Ahmad Zargar, who was selected by PSC in 2010 as Horticulture Development Officer and whose fate still hangs in balance, hopes that with the new SKUAST-K order declaring the degrees issued before and after change in nomenclature, Government may consider their eligibility for the post of Horticulture Development Officer in Horticulture Department.
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