Srinagar: The fate of nearly 500 graduates and post-graduates in Agricultural Engineering in Kashmir has been hanging in limbo for the past many years, due to the J&K government not framing any recruitment policy for them. The students can now only lament over their decision of taking up the subject.
The Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) here in Srinagar had started under-graduate and postgraduate degree courses in Agricultural Engineering in 2006. Sixteen years have passed since then but there hasn’t been a single recruitment process for the students, either on part of the university or of the government.
Initially, the university had started the agricultural engineering course with an intake capacity of 11 students. After receiving huge response, the intake capacity was increased to 40. The university has so far produced nearly five-hundred graduates and post-graduates while currently a good number of students are studying for their degree.
While the number of unemployed students continues to pile up each year, the J&K government is yet to frame any recruitment policy or create other job opportunities for such students. The degree-holders say they have been struggling for this since long and have contacted many higher officials, but no one has paid any heed to their grievances.
“We don’t know where we are heading towards. Our future looks bleak. We proudly received Agriculture Engineering degrees from a reputed university but ended up with nothing. There are no job opportunities available for us here in J&K, though in other states the situation is totally different. Degree holders there are provided ample job opportunities in government departments and educational institutions. For long we have been requesting the government to frame a job policy for us but nothing has happened till now,” Ahmer Bashir, a student of SKUAST, told Kashmir Reader.
This Tuesday, hundreds of Agriculture Engineering students of SKUAST had held a protest outside the university to voice their concerns and demanding a job policy in their favour from the government.
Another student, Owais Ahmad, questioned that if the government cannot provide employment or job opportunities in Agricultural Engineering, then the university should wind up this course and save further students from spoiling their future.
“We’ve been pleading our case with the government and officials concerned since 2016, but there hasn’t been any headway. If the government isn’t considering this as a specialised degree or course, then the university should close the agricultural engineering department. Sadly, in the entire Agriculture Department of J&K, only 7% of the share is of engineers while the major chunk goes to people who don’t even come from an agricultural studies background,” Owais told Kashmir Reader.
He added that the J&K government has been making tall claims about employment generation and creation of job opportunities for youth, but nothing has changed for them. “We have been suffering and continue to do so. Even after 16 years we have failed to find any mention in any government advertisement or of the agricultural department. It looks like we don’t exist. The government could have utilised our services and expertise in irrigation techniques and mitigation of flood control, besides other issues, but we don’t hold any importance anywhere,” Owais said.
In this regard, Choudhary Mohammad Iqbal, Director Agriculture Kashmir, told Kashmir Reader that they’ve sent a requisition to the government for creation of new posts in the department, and hopefully, the posts will be approved soon.
“We have updated the sanctioned strength with the government. Job creation is done at the administrative level. At the directorate level, we are entitled to take care of small vacancies and jobs. For other vacancies, we have sent the requisition towards the government and deserving candidates will find their place accordingly,” Choudhary told Kashmir Reader.
He added that no one among the Agriculture Engineering students have come to meet him with their grievances. “The students should come to my office with their grievances and they will be taken care of. I will again send the requisition towards the government if students raise their concerns and issues at my office,” he said.

KALEEM GEELANI