Students of various agricultural colleges across the State on Tuesday commenced a 48-hour hunger strike demanding that the Andhra Pradesh government take up recruitment of agricultural officers and extension officers under the rules framed under G.O Ms No 64.
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Students under the aegis of the Andhra Pradesh Agricultural Students Association (APASA) began the hunger strike in front of office of the District Collector here demanding that the AP government rethink its decision to recruit only those passed out of colleges having affiliation to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
‘Hasty decision’
Addressing the students, AP BC Welfare Organisation A. Vara Prasad Yadav alleged that the government had acted in undue haste after Jana Sena leader Pawan Kalyan expressed support to a section of students who had feared that they would face competition from students outside the State if the GO is implemented.
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“There are many students from AP who have opted to study in various colleges and universities across the country as there are few seats in the State and the competition is high. It is unfortunate that the government is treating them like outsiders,’’ said Mr. Yadav.
The recruitment of agricultural officers and agricultural extension officers has been taken up under the rules framed under G.O Ms No 1 issued in the year 2000. The G.O has detailed rules and has made it mandatory for applicants to pass out of those colleges recognised by the ICAR. In 2017, the AP government released GO Ms No 1, replacing the word ‘recognized’ with ‘accredited.’
In July, the ICAR came out with a statement clarifying that it is not a statutory body like the Medical Council of India (MCI) to give accreditation to agricultural colleges.
Following appeals from students outside the State, the government released GO 64 in August, relaxing the norms of recruitment.