AIP project employees of the Department of Agriculture could not be made permanent, demand to make them permanent

Jamrud: March 2. AIP project employees of the Department of Agriculture could not be made permanent, demand to make them permanent. During the previous government of PTI, AIP program was started for development works in various departments of tribal districts like livestock, agriculture, health and education etc. so that tribal districts can be self-sufficient in development and prosperity alongside other districts of the province. The PTI government at that time approved the regularization bill to give more relief to the residents of the tribal districts, in which the employees of other departments were made permanent under the regularization bill at that time, while the extension of the Integrated Agriculture Development in Merged District project in the Department of Agriculture was delayed due to the expiry of the government’s time and then due to the absence of a cabinet in the interim government. Sources said that the summary of the permanency of the employees of the Department of Agriculture Extension has been sent to the Chief Minister through the Finance Secretary and the Secretary Establishment from 2022, but it has not yet been implemented, on which the employees have expressed regret and have demanded reforms from Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sardar Ali Amin Khan Gandapur and Provincial Minister for Agriculture Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Major (Rtd) Sajjad Barkwal for permanence. The project employees of the Department of Agriculture, in which the majority are Ph.D. and M.Phil. They have worked in harsh conditions, have contributed to olive plantation, mushroom, saffron production and fruit and vegetable production in the tribal areas, and have been instrumental in educating and training farmers in these areas in various projects. There are also opportunities for their permanent extension in the Agriculture Department, therefore the provincial government and the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should issue instructions to the Finance Department for the permanent employment of these project employees so that further development of agriculture in the tribal districts can be possible and the employees who have been suffering from anxiety for a long time can get relief.