J&K agriculture graduates continue protest over recruitment policies

SRINAGAR — Agriculture graduates in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday continued their peaceful protest for the 17th consecutive day, demanding changes to recruitment policies they say have restricted access to technical posts in the Agriculture Production Department for nearly two decades.

The protesters, under the banner of the Agriculture Graduates Association of J&K, are seeking revocation of SRO-433 and SRO-442, which they describe as unfair and detrimental to recruitment opportunities for agriculture graduates.

According to the protesting graduates, the policies have effectively prevented regular recruitment against entry-level Gazetted and Non-Gazetted technical posts in the department, leaving qualified candidates with limited opportunities for appointment.

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The protesters are demanding that vacant technical posts be referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) and Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) through a transparent recruitment process.

They are also seeking equal opportunity for eligible agriculture graduates to compete for the posts.

Carrying placards and banners, the graduates said they would continue their campaign until what they described as a decades-long recruitment freeze was addressed and a mechanism for filling vacant technical posts was established.