UPSSSC Candidates Protest Demanding Update On Vacant Posts Of Agricultural Technical Assistant – News18

Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UPSSSC) candidates have staged a protest regarding the recruitment issue of 3,446 vacant posts of Agricultural Technical Assistant (AGTA) outside the office in Lucknow. The candidates are demanding information to be provided soon regarding the advertisement.

Earlier in August, it was reported that the protesting agriculture graduates were told that the delay was due to UPPSC’s failure to transfer the data of 96 candidates to UPSSSC in a specific format. The origin of this conflict goes back to a round of appointments that began a decade ago in 2013.

UPPSC advertised 6,628 AGTA posts in October 2013, conducted the examination in February 2014 and announced results in May 2015. A section of candidates moved the Allahabad High Court and later the Supreme Court alleging violation of reservation rules in the recruitment drive.

In September 2019, the Supreme Court ordered that the 906 candidates who were not issued appointment orders due to a change in the number of reserved seats be granted age relaxation as a one-time measure to participate in the upcoming recruitment. These candidates were not required to clear the PET again to sit for the written requirement exam. The apex court had also directed the UPPSC to send the data of the candidates to UPSSSC so that the latter can allow these candidates to sit in subsequent recruitment drives.

The protesting candidates have said that over the data issue, they have become overage for the exam and have demanded an update on the recruitment for the post.

UPSSSC notified recruitment for another AGTA post in July 2018. The exam was conducted in February 2019 and the results were announced in September 2020. The recruitment drive was completed in February 2021, delayed by COVID-19. This was the last recruitment drive for UP AGTA posts and candidates are still waiting for UPSSSC notification for AGTA vacancies in 2023.