Agri students of Visva Bharati University demand internal quota in PG courses

The agitating students said Visva Bharati University offers internal quota for all other departments but not in agriculture, seek halt to ongoing counselling process for admission.  

Around 30 agriculture students of Visva Bharati University have launched an agitation in front of the varsity’s central administrative office demanding internal quota for admission to postgraduate courses. As per a report published in The Telegarph, the students are demanding a halt to the ongoing counselling process for admission. They said Visva-Bharati’s admission process deprived internal students, whereas two other state universities in Bengal had quotas for their own students. 

There are three universities in Bengal that offer postgraduate degrees in agriculture — Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya and Visva-Bharati. The first two universities are run by the state, while Visva-Bharati is a central university. 

“Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya reserves 80 per cent of its total postgraduate seats for their internal students and Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya provides 10 per cent grace marks for their own students. In the case of Visva-Bharati, all 61 seats are open to all. Visva-Bharati offers internal quota for all other departments but not in agriculture. We oppose it,” said an agitating student. 

The students alleged that because of unequal competition, they were not getting admission in the two state varsities, while there was no quota for them in Visva-Bharati. “At a time when every department has an internal quota, why should the agriculture department be an exception? We are protesting against the injustice,” said a student. 

“The merit list is already out and we can’t withdraw it now. We sympathise with the problems of the students but they could have come before the list was published,” said an official of the university. 

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