BENGALURU: Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday announced the temporary postponement of the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) recruitment examinations for the posts of Agriculture Officer (AO) and Assistant Agriculture Officer (AAO), which were scheduled to be held on August 8 and 9.
The decision comes amid protests by agriculture students against the KEA’s move to allow Bachelor of Engineering (BE) and Bachelor of Technology (BTech) graduates to apply for the posts. The students argued that only candidates with agricultural qualifications should be eligible. However, Shivakumar did not clarify whether the rescheduled examinations would exclude BE and BTech candidates.
Students from the Gandhi Krishi Vigyana Kendra (GKVK), the main campus of the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), who had been protesting the eligibility criteria, met the CM on August 4 and submitted their grievances.
In a post on X, Shivakumar said, “On August 4, when students met me and shared their concerns, I could understand their anxiety and the uncertainty they were facing. I assured them that their genuine concerns would be addressed with sensitivity and fairness. Keeping the future of our agriculture graduates in mind, we have decided to temporarily postpone the Agriculture Officer recruitment examination.”
Meanwhile, IT/BT and Home Minister Priyank Kharge visited Freedom Park to meet the protesting students and appealed to them to end their agitation.
KARNATAKA EYES PARTNERSHIP WITH ANTHROPIC
Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday met a delegation from US-based AI company Anthropic to explore a long-term partnership aimed at accelerating the adoption of AI across various departments of the government.
The meeting, facilitated by IT/BT and Home Minister Priyank Kharge, was part of the state’s efforts to engage global AI leaders in strengthening Karnataka’s artificial intelligence ecosystem. During the meeting, Shivakumar highlighted the state’s proposed AI university as a demonstration of Karnataka’s commitment to advancing AI capabilities.
KEA INVITES APPLICATIONS FOR HORTICULTURE POSTS
The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has invited applications for the posts of assistant horticulture director and assistant horticulture officer. The deadline for the submission of applications is August 30 and last date to pay the fee is August 31. “Applications are invited for five posts of Assistant Horticulture Director in the residual cadre and 75 posts in the Assistant Horticulture Officer position,” said executive director H Prasanna.
