MIRZA, Sept 21 - The Assam Agricultural Service Officers� Association (AASOA) has demanded appointment of an Assam Agricultural Service (AAS) officer instead of an IAS to the post of Director of the State Agriculture Department.
A press release issued by AASOA said the post of Director comes under AAS and should be manned by a senior AAS officer having basic qualification of a degree in agriculture with relevant administrative experience.
�The Director of Agriculture is the lead person and needs to provide technical guidance for agriculture technology management and agriculture extension service. Hence, it is imperative that the director must have thorough knowledge and experience in agriculture rather than in general administration,� the release said, adding that in the last four years, the post of director has been manned by five IAS officers.
The AASOA expressed concern at repeated posting of non-agricultural professionals as the director and said it was having a negative impact on agricultural development in the State.
The association said there is a court case pending at the Gauhati High Court and urged the government to take steps for early disposal of the case. It said only agriculture offers vast scope for regeneration of the economy as other sectors have slowed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Appointment of an agriculture technocrat as the Director of Agriculture is the need of the hour to achieve agricultural growth to the fullest potential.
