SRINAGAR: A group of top-ranking aspirants from the Open Merit category for the Basic Agriculture Training (BAT) course at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST-K) have made an urgent plea for fair treatment, requesting the conversion of vacant reserved category seats into Open Merit seats.
In a heartfelt representation addressed to university authorities, the aspirants expressed gratitude for past responsiveness but raised serious concerns over the current seat allocation. According to the students, several category seats were filled during the second round of counselling, and with no eligible candidates remaining for the reserved categories, those seats are now lying vacant.
“We, the top Open Merit candidates, earnestly request your kind intervention to convert the remaining category seats into Open Merit,” the letter states, highlighting that many of the aspirants are nearing the upper age limit for eligibility and may lose their final opportunity for admission if the 2024 session is missed.
The students have also demanded that SKUAST-K allocate a minimum of five seats per district for Open Merit candidates, pointing out that in the current session, only five seats were allotted under the Open Merit quota across the board — a figure they describe as “injustice with top meritorious candidates.”
Emphasising that no time should be lost, the aspirants have appealed for the immediate issuance of a third counselling notification, so that they may begin their studies without further delay.
