Field Assistant posts to stay, VLWs to be made by direct appointment

GANGTOK: The post of VLWs lying vacant with the Agriculture Department will be filled through ‘direct appointment’ from among candidates having appropriate qualifications. This was informed by a senior official of the Agriculture Department.
The official was responding to the demand raised by the Department’s employees in a general meeting held on Sunday that the post of Field Assistants, created through a notification in the year 2002 by the Agriculture Department, be done away with so that the posts of VLWs lying vacant in the Department could be filled by the Fieldmen on promotion. [check here for background details]

The official informed that a Gazette notification of the Government has directed that the post of VLWs can be filled-up by candidates who have passed Class XII with Bio-Science and hold a diploma in Agricultural Science.
“Because of this, Fieldman, without this qualification cannot be promoted as VLWs,” the official said. Fieldmen with the required qualification are, it is learnt, already getting promoted as VLWs after ten years of service.
He further informed that Fieldman without this qualification will receive grade promotions to pay scales equivalent to the VLWs. The official maintained that the post of Filed Assistant is equivalent to that of Fieldman.
The official also assured that the senior Muster Roll employees will certainly be taken in as Fieldman on regular service, as and when the post is created.
Earlier, three associations of the Agriculture Department had alleged that the post of Field Assistants, a non-promotional post, prevailing in the Department was creating huge vacuum in the Department.