SRINAGAR — Unemployed agriculture graduates in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday called off their 42-day-long strike following a meeting with Agriculture Minister Javed Ahmad Dar, who assured them that their genuine demands would be addressed soon.
The breakthrough came after the minister discussed two key proposals with the protesting graduates: a 50:50 recruitment formula for gazetted posts and the merger of two non-gazetted cadres to create a common post at the panchayat level.
Speaking to the news agency KNS, Dar said the government was committed to addressing the concerns of unemployed agriculture graduates.
“I met the delegation and listened to their concerns. Their demands are genuine, and I have assured them that these will be fulfilled soon. We will hold further discussions to resolve the outstanding issues,” he told KNS.
Following the meeting, representatives of the protesting graduates announced their decision to end the agitation, saying the minister’s assurances had opened the way for further discussions with the government.
A representative of the delegation said the meeting was constructive and that the minister had acknowledged their concerns.
On recruitment to gazetted posts, the minister proposed a 50:50 formula, under which half the vacancies would be filled through direct recruitment and the remaining half through departmental candidates, the representative said.
Regarding non-gazetted recruitment, the delegation said Dar had proposed merging the Agriculture Extension Assistant (AEA) and Junior Agriculture Extension Officer (JAEO) posts into a single cadre without reducing their combined strength.
The proposed common post would be available at the panchayat level, potentially creating a unified recruitment structure within the Agriculture Department.
The graduates said the proposals would require further discussions before any final decision could be taken.
“We are calling off our strike for now on the strength of the assurances given by the minister. We will continue to follow up on these issues and expect the government to take concrete steps,” the representative said.
The delegation also thanked the Vice-Chancellor of SKUAST-Kashmir for supporting their concerns and the Director Agriculture Kashmir for facilitating discussions with the government.
The graduates acknowledged the support extended by students, researchers, scholars and others during their 42-day agitation.
Although the strike has ended, the proposed recruitment formula and cadre merger remain under consideration, with further discussions expected between the government and the graduates.
The protesters said they would continue to follow up on the minister’s assurances until their demands were formally addressed.
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