SUMMIT REPORT, Gangtok 20 Mar:
Citizen Action Party-Sikkim has rued the recent employment notice issued by the Sikkim Public Service Commission for the post of Block Officers under the Forest and Environment Department as representative of “a longstanding issue” of Forestry graduates not receiving fair representation in state government jobs.
The BO post at Forest Department, it is informed, is open for graduates from all disciplines and has no reservation for Forestry graduates despite the post requiring them to work on Sikkim’s forests, CAP points out.
It adds that the last recruitment for this post was conducted in 2015.
CAP argues: “Sikkim has vast forest covers, national parks, natural resources and rich biodiversity reserves that require specialized knowledge and expertise for their management and conservation. Despite this, the eligibility criteria for the post of Block Officer allow graduates from any discipline to apply, failing to recognize the relevance of forestry-specific education. This oversight is unfair to students who have dedicated years of study to this specialized field with the hope of contributing to the state’s environmental management.”
The party stresses that there was an urgent need for the state government and SPSC to reconsider the recruitment policy for such technical positions.
