Forestry graduates in troubled waters

Ranchi, Dec 17 (UNI) Students of Ranchi based India's first forestry college here are in trouble after completing their courses as the Jharkhand government is yet to make an absorption policy for them All the posts in state agriculture service, state animal husbandry service, state judiciary service and state health service are exclusively meant for the specialised graduates but there is no such provision for forestry graduates.

The students, who are admitted here after facing a tough competition at national and state level, were bitter after they were not absorbed in state forest services alike other agriculture or veterinary science graduates.

Agitated over the attitude of the government towards forestry graduates, the passed out students have formed 'Jhakhand Forestry Graduates Association' to focus their plight.

JFGA president Durgesh Kumar said this subject was also taught in other states like Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Orrisa, Kerala and Manipur and there exist a specific employment policy. ''What is the use of studying this subject when we have to face common competition with the students of general universities for the job,'' Anupam, who completed his B Sc.(Forestry) few years back queried.

''We have sent several proposals to the state government for formulating an employement policy and received assurances in this reqard also but nothing has happened till date,'' said Parminder Kaushal, Dean, Faculty of forestry at BAU.

Mr Kaushal said due to government's lackadaisical attitude the students were losing interest in the subject, resulting in a rapid decrease in admission. As aginst the availabisility of 104 seats in graduation, there are only 42 students, he added.

The first forestry college in the country, now a constituent unit of Birsa Agricultural University, was established in 1979 with an objective of imparting vocational education in forestry. The institute provides four-year degree and two-year master degree course in forestry. As per national policy, 15 per cent seats are filled through a national level test counducted by ICAR and 85 per cent were filled through JCECE conducted by state government.

State's forest secetary K K Khandelwal said government was looking into the matter.

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