Creation of one post of “Additional Director of Agriculture” in each discipline by surrendering equal number of posts in Basic Grade in the same discipline:
The following five posts of Additional Director of Agriculture, one in each discipline, need to be created in Pay Scale No. 19 & Pay Band 5 with Grade Pay of Rs. 8700/- (ROPA 2009) / Level 21 (ROPA 2019), for smooth functioning of research works in the field of agriculture in the State of West Bengal:
|
Sl. No. |
Discipline |
Proposed Designation in scale No. 19 / Level 21 (ROPA 2019) |
|
1 |
Botany |
Additional Director of Agriculture (Crop Improvement) |
|
2 |
Mycology and Plant Pathology |
Additional Director of Agriculture ( Disease Management) |
|
3 |
Entomology |
Additional Director of Agriculture (Insect Pest Management) |
|
4 |
Agricultural Chemistry |
Additional Director of Agriculture (Soil Health Management) |
|
5 |
Agronomy |
Additional Director of Agriculture (Resource Management) |
With the creation of the posts of Additional Director of Agriculture, discipline-wise total strength in Research Wing of Agriculture Directorate remains unchanged, envisaging reduction of posts borne in the basic grade.
3. Creation of discipline-wise separate Directorate under the Department of Agriculture:
The Agriculture Department is, at present, shouldering the herculean task of various departmental aspects of Agriculture of the State with the help of a single Directorate even at this stage when multifaceted approach for overall crop production is necessary. Handling of Agricultural Research, Soil and Water Conservation, Plant Protection, Seed Production and Quality Control, Transfer of Technology and Extension for the State as a whole by a single Directorate set up has already proved to be inadequate to deliver the goods in terms of our needs.
There is no dispute that availability of land will inevitably be decreased due to urbanization, industrialization and other causes. This will certainly call for efficient use of every square inch of land as well as conversion of non-agricultural land to agriculture in course of time. Water is also another gradually limiting input. Seed, the most important input, is becoming the weapon for economic supremacy. Endowed with diverse agro-climate, seed production potential of our State requires to be harnessed.
In order to use every square inch of land efficiently, to generate more crop per drop of water and to harvest the seed production potential, the time is fitting for restructuring the present set up of the Department by creating several Directorates as mentioned below and elevating the post of Director of Agriculture & Ex-Officio Secretary as Director General of Agriculture, West Bengal & E O Secretary. This restructuring will devolve funds and function in the specific areas of activities and facilitate timely supervision and monitoring for achieving the ultimate objectives.
The Association, therefore, likes to propose again for creation of seven (7) numbers of separate posts of Director of Agriculture as mentioned below under overall supervision and control of the Director General of Agriculture, West Bengal & Ex-Officio Secretary by renaming the existing post of the Director of Agriculture & Ex-Officio Secretary.
Creation of seven posts of Director of Agriculture , West Bengal in the existing Pre-revised Pay Band 5 with Grade Pay Rs. 8900/-(ROPA 2009) ie Level 22 in the Pay Matrix (ROPA 2019) by surrendering similar number of posts in the basic grade in scale no. 16 in the following manner.
Creation of seven posts of Director of Agriculture, West Bengal in the existing Pre-Revised Pay Scale No. 20 (Rs. 16400-450-20000/-) i.e. Pay Band 5 with Grade Pay of Rs. 8900/- (ROPA 2009) / Un-Revised Scale of Pay No. 19 & Pay Band 5 with Grade Pay of Rs. 8700/- (ROPA 2009) / Level 22 (ROPA 2019) by surrendering similar number of posts in the basic grade in scale No. 16 in the following manner:
|
Sl. No. |
Proposed Designation |
Overall in charge of and will report to the Director General of Agriculture & EOS, West Bengal |
|
A. |
IN ADMINISTRATIVE WING |
|
|
1 |
Director of Agriculture ( Extension & Training), West Bengal |
Technology Dissemination, Human Resource Development, Disaster Management etc. |
|
2 |
Director of Agriculture ( Food Grain Production), West Bengal |
Development of food crops like cereals, pulses and oilseeds, adaptive research on food crops etc. |
|
3 |
Director of Agriculture ( Commercial Crops), West Bengal |
Production and development of Jute, Cotton and other fibre crops in addition to Sugarcane, Potato and other tuber crops. |
|
4 |
Director of Agriculture (Soil & Water Conservation), West Bengal |
Soil and Water conservation, watershed management etc. |
|
5 |
Director of Agriculture ( Inputs), West Bengal |
Distribution and Quality control of all agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilizers, micro-nutrients, Bio and Organic fertilizers, pesticides, farm implements etc. |
|
6 |
Director of Agriculture ( Administration), West Bengal |
General Administration of the Directorate of Agriculture, cadre/ service maintaining cells etc. |
|
B |
IN RESEARCH WING |
|
|
1 |
Director of Agriculture ( Research) West Bengal |
Plan and execute programmes to bridge the gap between the potential and actual production, research programme (fundamental as well as Adaptive research) in the fields of Agriculture. |
The Director General of Agriculture, West Bengal & Ex- Officio Secretary should be appointed from amongst above seven Directors of Agriculture on the basis of seniority cum merit and as per recruitment rules to be notified.
4. Publication of Recruitment Rule for appointment to the post of Director of Agriculture & Ex-Officio Secretary, Department of Agriculture:
The post of Director of Agriculture, West Bengal was upgraded long back to the post of Director of Agriculture & Ex-Officio Secretary, West Bengal vide No. 4661-PAR (IAS) dated 02.08.91 but the Recruitment Rules for the said upgraded post have not been notified yet.
The Association demands immediate implementation of judgement passed by Hon’ble WBAT in the case O.A 578 of 2017 in context of Recruitment Rule for appointment to the post of Director of Agriculture & Ex-Officio Secretary, Department of Agriculture:
5. Manning of the posts by Agricultural Technologists which are now manned by Administrative officers:
As has been done in the Health Department, following posts in the Agriculture Department should be manned by the Senior Technical Officers of the Agriculture Directorate to accelerate the pace of work and easy understanding of the proposals. The important decisions in the files are either delayed or denied by the officers concerned only due to lack of Agriculture background. As such, the Association demands for creation of 3 new posts,one at the rank of Additional Director of Agriculture ,2 in the rank of Joint Director of Agriculture to facilitate the technical works pertaining to department.
6. Strengthening of the State Seed Certification Agency:
Quality seed is one of the basic inputs for development in Agriculture. To sustain agricultural production, and also to achieve self-sufficiency in seed production as well as to achieve 5.0% growth rate in agricultural production in West Bengal, due importance should be given to production & timely distribution of improved seeds among the farming community. Despite the establishment of West Bengal State Seed Certification Agency in 1983 with these objectives, the desired output could not be harnessed. At that time, only 300 ha was under seed certification programme in the State which has gone beyond 140 times at present. But neither a single staff nor any infrastructural facility has been provided to strengthen the W.B. State Seed Certification Agency. Due to this acute shortage of staff & facilities to the agency, the officials of this agency have to work with a tremendous work load for which the quality seed production programme of this State is being hampered to a great extent and the farming community is also suffering a lot.
The Association demands that, West Bengal State Seed Certification Agency should be strengthened immediately as per the need of the Seed Industries and the farming community of the State.
7. Proper manning of the Office of the Deputy Director of Agriculture (Administration), Alipurduar, Kalimpong , Jhargram, Paschim Bradhaman, Purba Bardhaman and Howrah and Assistant Director of Agricultural (Admn.) Office, Egra:
It is quite imperative that creation of Agricultural Districts and Sub-Division without providing adequate manpower does hardly serve any purpose. The offices of the Deputy Director of Agriculture (Administration), Alipurduar, Kalimpong, Jhargram,paschim Bardhaman, Purba Bardhaman and Howrah and Assistant Director of Agriculture (Admn.), Egra are inadequately manned. The Association demands strengthening of those offices with appropriate manpower immediately.
8. Formation of Agriculture Council of West Bengal as a step towards Registration of Agricultural Technologists as Crop Doctor:
Following constant persuasion of the Association, the Government constituted a high powered core committee with terms of reference long back and the said core committee has already submitted a draft bill for formation of Agriculture Council of West Bengal, the fate of the same is unexplained till now.
The ICAR, vide F. No. Edn/13/1/2016-HRD dated 06.10.2016, has already declared UG Degree in Agriculture and Allied subjects as Professional Degree. The Government of Andhra Pradesh has recently enacted the Andhra Pradesh State Agricultural Council Bill, 2020 vide L.A. Bill No. 22 of 2020. The Association, therefore, appeals to the State Government for immediate constitution of “West Bengal State Agricultural Council” towards regulation of Agricultural/ Horticultural Activities/ Practices as well as registration of Agricultural/ Horticultural Graduates with their professional degrees as “Crop Doctors” for wider dissemination of technical know-how, farm advisories, quality inputs etc. to the farming community in the State of West Bengal.