All India Convention on Agricultural Administrative Reforms”

All India Convention on Agricultural Administrative Reforms” on 10th May, 2011, at New Delhi All India Federation of Agricultural Associations (AIFAA) jointly with Technical Officers Association of Ministry of Agriculture, Consortium of Indian Farmers Associations, All India Agricultural Students Association, Central Herbal Agro Marketing Federation and Bhartiya Kissan Union is organizing an “All India Convention on Agricultural Administrative Reforms” on 10th May, 2011, at Mavlankar Hall, Rafi Marg, New Delhi.
The AIFAA is an apex body representing Agriculture Officers’ Associations of Central and State Government Employees and Teachers Associations of Agricultural Universities, registered scientific Societies. All India Agricultural Students Association and other Farmers Forum also associated with AIFAA. The basic mandate of the AIFAA is to promote the scientific and technological environment among the agricultural professionals and students their career progress to achieve the sustainable development of Indian agriculture.
About 600 delegates representing 150 associations of agriculture officers, scientists, teachers, students, farmers and industry from all over India will participate in the convention at one platform to discuss creation of all India Cadre of Indian Agriculture Service, restructuring of agriculture policy framework, creation of job opportunities for agriculture graduates and delivery system for agri-inputs and services.
Dr.Suraj Bhan, Chairman, AIAFA has mentioned that government is insensitive to agriculture as no steps have been taken for implementation of recommendations of government appointed committees/commissions such as Nalagarh Committee(1958), National Commission on Agriculture(1976). Sarkaria Commission on Centre-State Relations(1988), Central 5th and 6th Pay commission for creation of all India Cadre of Indian Agriculture Service. Rajya Sabha has also passed resolution by 2/3 majority in 1961 and 1971 for creation of Indian Agriculture Service. The recommendations of National Commission on Farmers have also not been implemented for restructuring of Agriculture Department/Ministry and for bringing agriculture into concurrent list. The present situation is that farming has become profitless, farmers are under debt and committing suicides,Agricultural Scientists and Technocrats have no or limited say in decision making in govt. and their service conditions are not good. The Federation feels that unsatisfactory administrative and organizational arrangement at block/district/state and Central level is considered the most important single factor responsible for inadequate process in the sphere of agriculture production. To provide food security, employment and livelihood support in the 21st century would require a very significant contribution of Techno-Administrative Agricultural support mechanism in the country. In the present system there are crucial deficiencies with respect to the poor delivery of inputs and services for agricultural production systems, e.g. defects in the framework of policy formulation, weaknesses in organization and institutional structures, procedural ineffectiveness, lack of coordination between different agencies and implementation of agriculture development programme by generalist bureaucrats.
For the proper development of agriculture, it is necessary that the main functionaries of decision making in policy, planning and implementation of developmental programmes of agriculture should be from agriculture background and there should be an organized All India Cadre of Indian Agriculture Service. While the actual position in Centre and States Departments of Agriculture and Allied sector is quite opposite and all the decision making key posts in these departments at Block, District, State and Central level are occupied by the officer from non agriculture background, coming from other services like IAS, IFS, IRS, IES etc. The total strength of the officers working in Central and States Departments of Agriculture, Central and States’ Agriculture Universities, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, ICAR and its Institutes is around 60,000. Out of which about 24,000 posts are vacant due to bureaucratic manipulations. There is direct interference by bureaucrats and large scale corruption in recruitments of teachers in agriculture universities.
Since independence, the govt. has created several cadres of organized services of Professionals like Medical, Engineering, Defense, Education, Corporate, Economics and Forest etc. But the demand of Agriculture Professionals has not been exceeded in spite of recommendations made by several Government appointed Committees/Commissions from time to time, because of which there is no scope of their carrier progression and they are stagnating on the same post for 15 to 20 years and some time more which is also effecting the proper implementation for development programmes and job opportunities for agricultural scholars. It is known fact that about 20% of the allocated funds for agricultural development programmes reach to beneficiaries at ground level and 80% of funds are siphoned off by bureaucrats. The progress of agriculture at present is measured by expenditure by bureaucrats at Krishi Bhwan which is unrealistic. Agriculture service is unorganized at Central and State level and there is no trainings for skill development or mid career skill development training programme at any level for agriculture officers. The highly qualified agriculture officers work at the bottom and never allowed to reach at senior level. Most of the director level technical posts in Central Department of Agriculture and State governments are occupied by non-agriculturists/bureaucrats.
Though there are 45 States Agricultural Universities, one Central Agricultural University, five deemed to be Universities and four Central Universities with Agriculture faculty. A large proportion of the products of these institutions of higher education in Agriculture become jobs seekers in the banks and in the urban market rather than getting opportunity to work in the field of their specialization for development of Agriculture in the country. The agriculture professionals are also not being represented in our missions abroad and in various international bodies because of which our agriculture trade is also suffering badly after liberalization of trade since nineties.
The Federation mentioned that there is unrest at every level among agricultural professional as oppressive measures are adopted by bureaucrats.The Federation has earlier submitted a detailed memorandum to Prime Minister on 12.3.2011 but nothing has been heard till now.Failing to get any response from government, entire agricultural fraternity including agriculture students and farmers joined hands together to come to at one platform and chalk out future plan of action to impress upon the government to take immediate action for creation of All India Cadre of Indian Agriculture Service.