Students protest for separate farm cadre

Students of Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (PDKV) on Friday closed the gate of Maharajbagh zoo and garden and blocked traffic on the road through it as they staged a dharna in college campus.

Under the banner of All India Agricultural Students Association (AIASA) they demanded the creation of a new all India service 'Indian Agricultural Services' on the lines of Indian Administrative Services.

The protests are being held across the country from March 10-12. Today, the protests were scheduled at Nagpur and students gathered at Maharajbagh campus to push their demands. Later, the students closed the Maharajbagh gate near university square and stopped traffic.

Amol Patil, member of AIASA, said "We want bureaucrats out and technocrats in. People who are running the agriculture department should have at least studied agriculture. Various committees have recommended a separate creation of All India Cadre just like IAS or IFS but nothing has happened. Hence, we are protesting all over the country."

Apart from this, the students are also demanding creation of agricultural research service, agricultural development service, foreign agricultural service, and agricultural education service. Patil said quality of agricultural education in the country will increase once these demands are met.

"In Nagpur there are currently 400 students enrolled in the undergraduate course, 200 in post-graduate course, and 60 in the agriculture business management department. If technocrats run the things, quality of agricultural management will be better for all," he said.