The Agriculture Students Association Punjab (ASAP), a union representing graduates and postgraduates in agriculture and related fields, organized a “Pol Khol” rally at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana.
Former and current agricultural students have voiced their primary demand, which is the immediate recruitment of agriculture development officers (ADOs) to fill vacant positions. They have also urged the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) to release the recruitment exam schedule promptly. If this schedule is not released, they plan to stage a significant protest outside the PAU auditorium on November 1. On that day, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and opposition leaders are scheduled to attend a debate.
During the rally, ASAP members marched on the PAU campus, raising slogans against the AAP government for its failure to employ agriculture graduates and postgraduates.
Angrej Singh of ASAP emphasized that the government should make agriculture a mandatory subject in Punjab government schools and hire teachers for this discipline. The students are also seeking an opportunity to participate and express their views on Punjab issues during the November 1 debate.
Babanpreet Singh from the Punjab Agricultural Students Association (PAUSA) highlighted the delay in the PPSC’s release of the exam schedule for ADO recruitment. Despite multiple meetings with the director of agriculture, principal secretary, and the minister, no progress has been made, leading to increased frustration among students. They are also urging the prompt release of advertisements for hiring horticulture development officers (HDOs) and agriculture teachers for government schools.
Following the rally, both ASAP and PAUSA submitted a memorandum to Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan.
