Srinagar, Nov 01: Unemployed agriculture graduates in Jammu and Kashmir have called off their 42-day-long agitation following assurances from Agriculture Minister Javed Ahmad Dar that their demands would be addressed, media reports said on Sunday.
During a meeting with a delegation of the protesters, the minister reportedly discussed a proposed 50:50 recruitment formula for gazetted posts, with equal opportunities for direct recruits and departmental candidates.
The discussions also covered the proposed merger of Agriculture Extension Assistant (AEA) and Junior Agriculture Extension Officer (JAEO) posts into a common non-gazetted cadre, without reducing the existing combined strength. The unified post is proposed to function at the panchayat level.
The minister assured the delegation that further discussions would be held to resolve the pending issues, according to media reports.
Following the meeting, the graduates announced the suspension of their protest, stating that the assurances had opened the way for further engagement with the government. They, however, said they would continue to pursue their demands until concrete decisions were taken.
The delegation also acknowledged the support of SKUAST-Kashmir’s Vice-Chancellor and the Director Agriculture Kashmir in facilitating the discussions.