Jammu and Kashmir’s Agricultural Graduates Face Desperate Unemployment Crisis!

The Unemployed Agricultural Graduates Association of Jammu and Kashmir (UAGAJK) has raised urgent concerns about the worsening unemployment crisis faced by agricultural graduates in the region. The association criticizes the government for its lack of attention, inadequate policies, and failure to fill vacant positions within the J&K Agriculture Production Department (APD), exacerbating the unemployment issue for agricultural graduates, postgraduates, doctoral, and post-doctoral students.

According to UAGAJK, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir introduced SRO-442 in the APD on October 23, 2017. This amendment mandated that Junior Agriculture Extension Officer (JAEO) posts be filled 100% on a promotional basis, contrary to the earlier SRO-02 dated January 2, 2004, which allowed for a 60:40 split (60% direct recruitment and 40% promotional quota). These JAEO posts serve as entry-level positions in the APD, and the agricultural technocrats are now suffering from psychological trauma due to this change. Additionally, entry-level posts in the gazetted cadre have also been affected. Under SRO-179 of 1988, the direct-to-promotional quota ratio was 50:50, but later, under SRO-433, it was adjusted to 20:80, further diminishing the chances for young professionals with postgraduate and doctoral degrees in agriculture.

Despite hundreds of vacant posts under the direct recruitment quota, the APD has not referred a single post of Agriculture Extension Officer (AEO) for direct recruitment in over 17 years. The association has made repeated attempts to seek redressal by approaching various officers, including the Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, the Commissioner Secretary of JKAPD, and the Directors of Agriculture in Jammu and Kashmir. Unfortunately, their grievances remain unaddressed.

Sheikh Amjid, President of UAGAJK, expressed deep disappointment at the government’s inability to address the genuine concerns of unemployed agricultural graduates. The repeated dismissal of their grievances, citing the prolonged reorganization process, indicates a lack of will to tackle the unemployment crisis head-on.

Furthermore, these restrictive policies not only deprive qualified agricultural graduates of employment opportunities but also hinder the infusion of fresh talent and ideas into the Agriculture Production Department. The recent withdrawal of an advertisement for 156 posts of Agricultural Extension Assistants (AEA) on January 2, 2021, after a gap of 7 years, dashed the hopes of thousands of unemployed agriculture students and scholars.