Staff Shortage Hits Karnataka Agriculture Department, Falls to 44%

Farmers in Karnataka may be delighted as the monsoon arrives since the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast good rain this year. The acute problem that the State Agriculture Department is facing may come as a surprise to many.

The department is experiencing a severe staffing shortage, with just around half of its employees working. This has had a detrimental influence on the department's operations, with the majority of those affected being recipients and farmers who have not received benefits.

The department's sanctioned employee strength from various cadres is 9,007 posts, of which only 4,020 have been filled. This means that just 44% of the department's staff are employed. Group B and Group C play crucial roles among them, and these two cadres account for the majority of vacant positions. Only 1,781 of the 4,091 sanctioned vacancies in the Group B cadre have been filled.

The state government's attempt to recruit 300 employees isn't going to make much of a difference because it's far less than what's needed. There are over 750 Raitha Samparka Kendras (RSK) throughout Karnataka, with at least one at the Hobli level. Each RSK should have an assistant agricultural officer and an agriculture assistant who are responsible for reaching out to the village's end beneficiaries.

In his maiden budget statement, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai declared a budget allocation of '33,700 crores for agriculture and associated sectors, to increase farmer incomes. He also launched the Raitha Shakti project, which would see Rs 500 crore allocated to promote the usage of farm machinery.

‘Farming schemes not reaching beneficiaries’

The chief minister had even approved a Rs 250 per acre diesel subsidy for small-scale farmers.

"There are several farming-related programs that will assist a huge number of farmers and their family members," a senior government source told TNSE on condition of anonymity. Government employees on the ground are crucial in reaching out to beneficiaries in communities and giving fertilizer subsidies. How can we fulfill deadlines when we're short on staff?"

The Department of Agriculture recently sent a proposal to engage 3,000 diploma graduates from farm institutions as agriculture assistants, one for every two panchayats, but the idea was rejected by the finance department, citing increased financial load on the exchequer as the reason.

"We need individuals to go out to farmers and educate them about low-quality seeds, help them in doubling their incomes, raise awareness about soil protection, and implement a variety of other projects." Another official stated, "We don't have people at risk, which results in a big number of individuals being neglected."