Srinagar, Nov 1 (KNS): 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 Kashmir News Service (KNS), Agriculture Minister Javed Ahmad Dar said the government was committed to addressing the genuine 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,” Dar told KNS.
Following the meeting, representatives of the graduates announced their decision to end the ongoing agitation, saying the assurances had provided a basis for further engagement with the government.
“The meeting was constructive. We discussed our demands in detail, and the minister acknowledged our concerns. On the gazetted cadre, he proposed a 50:50 recruitment formula, with half the posts reserved for direct recruitment and the remaining half for departmental candidates,” a representative of the delegation said.
On non-gazetted recruitment, the delegation said the minister 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 a 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 talks with the government.
The graduates acknowledged the support of students, researchers, scholars and others who stood with them during the 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 closely follow the progress of the assurances until their demands were formally addressed. (KNS)
