A day after announcing the constitution of an experts committee to examine the demand of forestry graduates, Forest Minister B. Eshwar Khandre on Wednesday called on the protesting forestry sciences students and assured them of not fully implementing the Administrative Reforms Commission’s recommendation to fill the posts of Deputy RFOs only through promotions.
Students from all the three forestry colleges in the State have been protesting at Freedom Park of Bengaluru since Monday demanding that a degree in forestry sciences should be prescribed as the minimum qualification for filling posts of Assistant Conservator of Forests, Range Forest Officer, and Deputy Range Forest Officer.
The Minister said it was not fair to fill all DRFOs posts through promotions as per the recommendation by the Administrative Reforms Commission led by T. M. Vijaybhaskar as that would affect job opportunities for the forestry sciences graduates.
At the same time, it was not proper to prevent graduates from other science streams like Botany and Zoology from getting these jobs by reserving only for forestry sciences graduates, he observed. An experts’ committee would be formed within a week to examine the issue, he said.