Date:19/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/19/stories/2008091954540400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Recruitment of forestry graduates to see a jump

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: The State Government has decided to increase the number of B.Sc. (Forestry) candidates to be recruited by the Forest Department.

Students of the forestry colleges at Sirsi in Uttara Kannada and Ponnampet in Kodagu have been on strike for the last 24 days demanding that more number of people be recruited by the State Forest Department. On the directions of Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs S. Suresh Kumar and the Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri held discussions with representatives of the striking students and arrived at an amicable solution here on Thursday.

Briefing presspersons after the meeting, the two Ministers said the number of forestry graduates to be recruited by the Government would be increased to 80 per cent of the available vacancies. Further, the post of forester would be redesignated as Deputy Range Forest Officer and a degree in forestry would be the minimum qualification.

Presently, a pass in second year of PU is the minimum qualification required for the post of forester.

The Chief Minister has to approve this understanding as he holds the Forest portfolio.

The students said they were happy with the decision of the Government and would call off their strike after a meeting.

Students of the four-year B.Sc. (Forestry) course told the Ministers that the Forest Department had suspended recruitment for several years resulting in nearly 900 B.Sc. (Forestry) graduates being unemployed .

These graduates were not preferred in other positions in the Government and all of them were dependant on the Government for employment.