ODISHA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION ADVERTISEMENT NO. 06 OF 2024-25 Recruitment to the posts of Assistant Agriculture Officer in Class-II (Group-B) of Odisha Agriculture and Food Production Service, under Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment. WEBSITE - http://opsc.gov.in Online applications are invited from the prospective candidates through proforma application to be made available on the Website of the Commission (http://opsc.aov.in) The link for Online application and Submission shall be available from 12.11.2024 to 11.12.2024 (Note: 11.12.2024 is the last date/closing date for submission of Registered Online Application) for recruitment to 124 (One Hundred and Twenty Four) posts of Assistant Agriculture Officer in Class-II (Group-B) of Odisha Agriculture and Food Production Service, under Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, carrying the Scale of Pay at Level-10 of the Pay Matrix under ORSP Rules, 2017, in consistent with pre-revised scale of pay under PB-2-Rs.9300-34800/- with Grade Pay of Rs.4600/- with usual Deamess and other Allowances as may be sanctioned by the Government of Odisha from time to time. The posts are permanent and likely to continue. 2. Vacancy Position: As per requisition furnished by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, Government of Odisha, the vacancy positions are given below: Si.No. | Category No of Vacancies 1 UR 45(15-w) 2 SEBC 14(05-w) 3 SC 24(08-w) 4 ST 41(14-w) Total 124 (42-w) Out of 124 vacancies, 05(02-w) posts are reserved for Persons with Disabilities belonging to OL(MNR) category[one leg affected (Right or Left)] [Mobility not be restricted], whose permanent disability is 40% or more, 04 posts are reserved for Ex-Servicemen and 01 post is reserved for Sports Persons. Candidates belonging to the categories of PWD, Ex-Servicemen & Sports persons shall be adjusted against the categories to which they belong. Page 1 of 10 Contd ninesThe Physical Requirements and Functional Classification of the Persons with Disabilities suitable for the posts of Assistant Agriculture Officer are mentioned below:- Physical Requirements Functional Classification ST,W,SE,H ‘OL(MNR),HI(with suitable aid) Full Forms IST- Work performed by standing. IW- Work performed by walking SE- Work performed by seeing H- Work performed by hearing/speaking Full Forms OL (MNR)- One leg affected- (Right or Left) Mobility Not be restricted HL-Hearing Impaired (With suitable aid) NOT a) b) a) e) 9) h) Page 2 of 10 Candidates must upload their Permanent Disability Certificate. Certificate showing Temporary Disability will not be accepted and the application shall be liable for rejection. Candidates claiming reservation against Sports Persons Quota shall submit Sports Identity Card/ Certificate issued by the Director of Sports, Odisha as per General ‘Administration Department Resolution No. 24808/GA, dt. 18.11.1985. ‘According to the Odisha Ex-Servicemen (Recruitment to State Civil Services and Posts) Amendment Rules, 2021 issued vide General Administration and Public Grievance Department Notification No. 15318/Gen., dt. 09.06.2021, those Ex- Servicemen who have already secured regular employment under the State Government in civil posts and services would be permitted the benefit of age relaxation as admissible for ex-servicemen for securing another employment in any higher post or service under the State Government but such candidates shall not be eligible for benefit of reservation, if any, for Ex-Servicemen in the State Government. Candidates furnishing SEBC certificate which is issued more than 03 years prior to the date of submission of online application, shall not be considered under SEBC category. Experience has shown that candidates obtain SC/ST/SEBC certificate etc. prior to the date of application and upload the same along with online application. Such certificates sometimes get cancelled subsequently. If the cancellation of certificate is detected at any subsequent stage, the candidature of such candidates will be cancelled under that category. In case of non-availability of eligible/suitable women candidates belonging to the respective categories, the unfilled vacancies of that category shall be filled up by eligible or suitable male candidate(s) of the same category. Exchange of reservation between Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe will not be considered in the event of non-availability of eligible and suitable S.C. / S.T. candidates. ‘The number of vacancies to be filled up on the basis of this recruitment is subject to change by the Government without notice, depending upon the exigencies of public service at the discretion of the State Government. Contd.3. AGE: ‘A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not be above the age of 38 years on the 1* day of January 2024 i.e. he/she must not have been born earlier than 2™ January 1986 and not later than 1* January 2003. The upper age limit prescribed above shall be relaxable by OS (five) years for candidates belonging to the categories of Socially & Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC), Scheduled Castes (S.C.), Scheduled Tribes (S.T.), Women & Ex-servicemen and 10 (Ten) years for Persons With Di ies whose permanent disability is 40% or more. Persons with Disabilities belonging to the categories of SEBC/SC/ST shall le for cumulative age relaxation benefit of 15 (Fifteen) years. Although age relaxation is permissible to Persons with Permanent Disabilities, reservation of post is only meant for persons with permanent disabilities belonging to OL(MNR) category-[one leg affected- (Right or Left) Mobility Not be restricted], as requisitioned by the Government. Provided that a candidate who comes under more than one category mentioned above, he/she shall be eligible for only one benefit of upper age relaxation, which shall be considered most beneficial to him/her. (SAVE AS PROVIDED ABOVE THE AGE LIMITS PRESCRIBED CAN IN NO CASE BE RELAXED). Date of birth entered in the High School Certificate or equivalent certificate issued by the concerned Board/Council will only be accepted by the Commission. 4, EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION: ‘A candidate must have possessed a Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture (B.Sc. (Ag.)] or Horticulture [B.Sc. (Horticulture)] from any University or Institution recognized by any State Government or the Government of India. No other equivalent qualification except Degree in Agriculture or Horticulture will be accepted. 5. |ATION FEE: The examination fee has been exempted for all categories of candidates as per G.A. & P.G. Department Notification No.9897/Gen., dt.11.04.2022. 6. METHOD OF SELECTION: a. The selection of candidates for recruitment to the posts of Assistant Agriculture Officer shall be made by way of competitive examination consisting of Written Examination and Interview. b. (i) Written Examination (200 marks): - ‘It shall consist of two(02) Papers having total 200 marks i.e 100 marks for each Paper, which shall be of Objective Type with Multiple Choice Questions(MCQ pattern) + Each Paper consists of 100 questions with one(01) mark per question. ‘+ There shall be negative marking for incorrect answers with a deduction of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer. + There shall be no deduction for un-attempted questions. © The time duration for each paper will be of 02 hours. + The detailed syllabus for the Written examination (Two papers) is enclosed at Annexure-I, The syllabus will be of Bachelor’s Degree level. (ii) Interview: - It shall consist of 25 (twenty five) marks. be eli Page 3 of 10 Contd.c. The Commission will short-list the candidates to be called for interview to a reasonable number taking into consideration the marks obtained in the written ‘examination in the following manner. “Where the number of vacancies is up to 02(two), the number of candidates to be called for interview shall be 05(five). Where the number of vacancy exceeds 02, the number of candidates to be called for interview shall be twice the number of vacancies”. d. The Commission shall prepare a list of successful candidates in order of merit on the basis of Written Examination and Interview, which shall be equal to the number of vacancies as advertised. e. If two or more candidates obtain equal marks, the order of merit shall be determined in accordance with the highest marks secured by such candidates in Written Examination and in case the marks secured by them in Written Examination is equal, the order of merit shall be determined in accordance with their date of birth. NOTE: - Any details relating to this recruitment like cut-off marks, answer keys, individual marks etc. shall only be declared in the Website of the Commission after publication of the Final Results and Select List. 7. DATE OF EXAMINATION The Written Examination will be held on 09.03.2025 (Sunday). The detailed Schedule and Centre of Examination will be notified in due course. 8. PLACE OF EXAMINATION ‘The venue of the Written Examination for the posts of Assistant Agriculture Officer will be located at Cuttack/Bhubaneswar. 9. SE Ee The candidate must be a citizen of India; il He/She must be of good mental condition and bodily health and free from any physical and mental defect, likely to interfere with the discharge of his or her duties in the service. ii, He/She must be able to read, write and speak Odia; and have — a. passed Middle School Examination with Odia as a language subject; or b. passed Matriculation or equivalent examination with Odia as medium of examination in non-language subject; or c. passed in Odia as language subject in the final examination of Class ~ VII from a School or Educational Institution recognized by the Government of Odisha or the Central Government; or d. Passed a test in Odia in Middle English School standard conducted by the School & Mass Education Department of the Government of Odisha / Board of Secondary Education, Odisha. iv. A candidate, who has more than one spouse living, will not be eligible for appointment’ unless the State Government has exempted his/her case from operation of this limitation for any good and sufficient reasons; v. Government servants, whether temporary or permanent, are eligible to apply provided that they possess the requisite qualification and are within the Prescribed age-limit as provided under Para-3 & Para-4 of the Advertisement Page 4 of 10 Contd.respectively. They_must inform their respective Heads of the Office in writing regarding submission of their application for this recruitment and furnish “No Objection Certificate” during document verification. So must obtain NOC well in advance. vi. If a candidate has at any time, been debarred for a certain period/chance(s) by the Odisha Public Service Commission or other State Public Service Commission or U.P.S.C. from appearing at any examination / viva voce test, he/she will not ible to apply for that specified period / chance(s); vii. Only those candidates, who possess the requisite qualifications, are within the prescribed age limit and fulfill other eligibility conditions strictly etc. by the closing date for submission of registered online application form, will be considered eligible; vii Every candidate selected for appointment shall be examined by the Medical Board. A candidate, who does not satisfy the requirement after medical examination, shall not be appointed to the service. 10. IMPORTANT POINTS: (i) A candidate found guilty of seeking support for his/her candidature by offering illegal gratification or applying pressure on any person connected with the conduct of the recruitment process or found indulging in any type of malpractice in course of the selection or otherwise, shall, in addition to rendering himself/herself liable to criminal prosecution, be disqualified not only for the recruitment for which he/she is a candidate, but also may be debarred, either permanently or for a specified period, from any recruitment or selection to be conducted by the Commission; (i) The provisions of the Odisha Conduct of Examination Act 1988 (Odisha Act-2 of 1988) are applicable to the examination conducted by the Odisha Public Service Commission. (iii) Online applications submitted to OPSC, if found to be incomplete in any respect, are liable for rejection _ without _entertaining any lence wit i it (iv) Admission to Written Examination/ Interview will be provisional. If on verification at any stage before or after the Examination/Interview/ Publication of Result, it is found that a candidate does not fulfil all the bility conditions, his/her candidature will be liable for rejection. n with regard to eligibility or otherwise of candidate shall be final; (v) This advertisement should not be construed as binding on the Goverment to make appointment; (vl) Reservation and Relaxation etc. meant for S.C. / S.T. by Birth and SEBC are admissible to the Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes and Socially & Educationally Backward Classes of Odisha only; (vii) All persons appointed under the Government of Odisha on or after 1* January, 2005 shall not be eligible for pension as defined under Sub-rule(1) of Rule-3 of the Odisha Civil Service (Pension) Rules, 1992; but shall be covered by the defined Contributory Pension Scheme in accordance with the Odisha Civil Services (Pension) Amendment Rules, 2005; Page 5 of 10 Contd.(viii)Any misrepresentation or suppression of information by the candidate in the online application form will result in cancellation of his/her candidature or penalty, as decided by the Commission shall be imposed on the candidate; (ix) Mere empanelment in the select list shall not confer any right for appointment unless the Government is satisfied after making such enquiry as may be deemed necessary that the candidate is suitable in all respects for appointment to the Service. (x) A candidate who claims change in his/her name after having passed the H.S.C. examination, is required to furnish copy of publication of the changed name in the local leading daily newspaper as well as copy of notification in the Gazette in support of his/her change of name; (xi) Submission of NPS application is mandatory for all recommended candidates at the time of joi Government services. IRTIFICATES / Di IMENTS Ti \TTACHED: Candidates who qualify in the written examination will be required to bring with them the hard copy of online application form along with copies of relevant certificates/documents and originals of the same as mentioned below for verification of their eligibility as per terms and conditions of the advertisement, the date of which shall be notified later on in due course, failing which his/her application will be rejected for the said post. The candidates are required to mention on each copy of documents “Submitted by me and Certified as ‘genuine and has not been cancelled” and put their full signature and date on the ‘They must not attach the original certificates to their applications. i. _H.S.C. of equivalent certificate in support of declaration of age issued by the concerned Board/Council; ii, Intermediate /+-2 Examination Certificate issued by the concerned Board/ Council; il, Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture/Horticulture Certificate issued by the recognized University/Institution; iv. Mark-sheets in support of all the aforementioned examinations passed (ie HSC to Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture/Horticulture) including fail marks, if any, issued by the concerned Board/Council/University/Institution as the case may be NOTE-: (a) Candidates who have not been awarded percentage of marks, but only “grade marks”, should, along with their applications, produce the Conversion Certificate from the concerned University indicating the actual equivalent percentage of marks and the conversion formula, failing which, their applications are liable to be rejected. (b) While filling up the marks in the relevant box of the online application form, the candidate has to mention the actual marks secured (excepting marks secured in the Extra Optional/4” Optional Subject) in each semester/examination passed (i.e, H.S.C. to Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture/Horticulture).. v. Four recent passport size photographs within six months (unsigned and unattested) which has been uploaded in the online application forms. vi. Caste Certificate in support of claim as SEBC / SC / ST, wherever applicable (Please see Note: 2); Page 6 of 10 Contd.Required Odia Test Pass Certificate; Persons with Disabilities are required to submit/upload Permanent Disability Certificate (indicating percentage of permanent aisability i.e 40% or more) issued by the concerned Medical Board wherever applicable; ix. Ex-Serviceman are required to submit/upload Release Certificate issued as per Orissa Ex-Servicemen (Recruitment to State Services and Posts) Rules, 1985 vide G.A. Department notification No.22856-Gen., dt.16.10.1985. Further, Ex-Servicemen candidates must submit an Affidavit, undertaking that he/she has not been appointed against any Civil posts and services after retirement from military service [Refer Note-(c) under Para-2]. Format of Affidavit is enclosed at Annexure-IT. x. Sports Identity Card/Certificate issued by the Director of Sports Odisha; wherever applicable. xi. No Objection Certificate issued by the Competent Authority/Head of Office; wherever applicable, xil, Proof of identity i.e. Aadhar / EPIC/ DL/ Passport/PAN Card. NOTE -2: i. Candidates claiming to be belonging to S.E.B.C. / S.C. /S.T. categories of Odisha by birth are required to submit copy of the relevant Caste Certificate issued by the competent authority in the prescribed form. The candidates applying against SEBC Category (Non-Creamy Layer) must submit Caste Certificate issued by the Competent Authority not more than 03 years before the date of submission of online application form. For example, if a candidate is submitting the o on 21.11.2024; the SEBC certificate must have been issued on or after 22.11.2021. If such certificate is issued before 22.11.2021 will not be treated as valid and the candidate will not be considered under SEBC category. Women candidates belonging to S.E.B.C. / S.C. / S.T. categories are required to submit Caste Certificates by birth showing “daughter of suuususs”, Caste Certificates by virtue of marriage (i.e. showing “wife of a ") are not acceptable and liable for rejection. iv. OBC certificate will not be accepted in lieu of SEBC certificate. v. Community (Caste status) once mentioned by the candidates in the online application form shall not be changed under any circumstance ‘The Competent Authorities are as prescribed by the Government of Odisha under relevant Reservation Rules. NOTE-3: Bachelor's Degree Certificate in Agriculture/Horticulture [B.Sc.(Ag.)/ B.Sc.(Horticulture)], SC/ST Caste Certificate, Odia Test pass certificate, Sports Identity Card issued by the Director of Sports, Odisha in case of Sports Persons, Permanent Disability Certificate of Person with Disabilities (indicating % of permanent disability) and Release Certificate of Ex- Serviceman [issued as per Orissa Ex-Servicemen (Recruitment to State Civil Services and Posts) Rules, 1985 vide G.A. Department notification No.22856-Gen., dt.16.10.1985] must have been issued by the Competent Auth on or before the date of submission of the istered online application form by the Page 7 of 10 Contd.12. GROUNDS OF REJECTION OF APPLICATIONS: Applications of candidates will be rejected by the Commission on any of the following grounds: - a. b. cs Incomplete online application form. Non-submission of hard copy of online application form at the time of verification of original documents. Declaration not signed (full signature) by the candidate in the hard copy of online application form. Not passing Odia Test (ME. standard)/not furnishing Odia Test pass evidence by the date for submission of registered online application form as required under Para-9 of the Advertisement. Not coming within the age limit as mentioned in Para-3 of the advertisement (Age relaxation shall not be allowed to P.W.D. candidates with less than 40% permanent disability). Not having prescribed requisite qualification by the date of submission of registered online application form as provided under Para-4 of the advertisement. Not furnishing copies of certificates/documents as provided under Para-11 of the Advertisement. Submission of wrong information / false information/forged manipulated —_certificates/testimonials_ with respect to qualification/Age/Category status (SEBC/ SC/ ST/ PWD/ Ex- Servicemen /Sports Person/Women)/Odia Test pass evidence etc. Suppression of facts / information about eligibility, if any. Any other ground as per the decision of the Commission. NB: Application /candidature of a candidate shall be rejected at any stage of recruitment process, when discrepancy is noticed/ detected. 13. HOW TO APPLY: a Page 8 of 10 Candidates must carefully go through the details of this Advertisement available in the Website of OPSC before filling up online application form. Candidates must apply online through the concerned Website of the OPSC http://opsc.gov.in. Applications received through any other mode would not be accepted and summarily rejected. Before filling up the online application form, the candidates must go through detailed instructions available at OPSC portal. ‘The online application form is automated and system driven & will guide the candidate seamlessly in filling the application. The requisite options shall be enabled and information shall be asked as per data furnished by the candidate. Before filling up the information, ensure that accurate information is fed. The candidate must also verify the submitted copy of online application after its submission. If the candids her wants to modify any information, she/he has to cancel the application and apply again within the last d submission of application. Contd..e. Candidates are requested to upload the scanned image of latest passport size photograph along with scanned image of his/her full signature and scanned image_of Left-hand Thumb Impression (LTI) in the online application form. Uploaded photograph, Specimen (full) signature and LTI must be clearly identifiable / visible; otherwise the application of the candidate is liable to be rejected by the Commission and no representation from the candidate will be entertained. f. Candidates should keep at least four copies of latest passport size photograph Which is uploaded to the online application form for future use. g. On successful submission of the online Registration, a unique “Permanent Public Service Account Number (PPSAN)" will be assigned to the applicant. Candidates are required to take a printout of the finally submitted online Registration/Re-registration and finally sut ine Application forms and put his/her signature under the declaration for submission to OPSC along with copies of requisite certificate & documents as and when asked. h. The candidates are advised to submit the Online Application Form well in advance without waiting for the closing date to avoid the last hour rush. i. Certificate of Admission to the written examination to the eligible candidates will be uploaded in the Website of the OPSC prior to the date of written examination, which will be published in the Website of the Commission and Newspapers. The candidates are required to download their Admission Certificate from the Website of the Commission and produce the same at the Examination centre for admission to the written examination. No separate correspondence will be made on this score. j. “NOTICE” to candidates for document verification & interview and “Attestation form” & "Bio-data form” shall be uploaded in the website of OPSC prior to the date of Document Verification/Interview. k. Any complaint on the conduct of examination must be sent to the Grievance Wing of the Commission by e-Mail ([email protected]) within 07(Seven) days of completion of the examination. |. Experience has shown that the candidates do submit online application form with omission/error/without uploading documents and subsequently send e-mail/letter to the Commission for rectification. The Commission is under no obligation to entertain such request/representation. 14, FACILITATION COUNTER :- To resolve any Technical problem faced in filling up of online Registration/ Re- registration and Application forms, candidate may contact OPSC Technical Support over Telephone No. 0671-2304707 between 10.30 A.M. to 1.30 P.M. & 2.00 P.M. to 5.00 P.M. ‘on any Oaisha Government working days. In case of any guidance/information on this advertisement & recruitment, candidates may go through the FAQ available in the website of the Commission or contact the O.P.S.C. Facilitation Counter over Telephone No. 0671-2304141/2305611 & Extn.- 227 on any working day between 10.30 A.M, to 1.30 P.M. & 2.00 P.M. to 5.00 P.M. Page 9 of 10 Contd,The candidates are required to visit the website of the Commission at ttp-/opsc.gov.in for detailed information about important notices, rejection of applications, the date & time of written examination, document verification & interview and also keep track of publication of various notices to the effect in the leading local dally newspapers for information. Candidates submitting forged/manipulated documents will be debarred from appearing examination conducted by Odisha Public Service Commission for 03 years. CLOSING DATES ‘A. THE LINK FOR ONLINE APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION SHALL BE AVAILABLE IN THE WEBSITE FROM 12.11.2024 to 11.12.2024 (11:59 P.M). B. ONLY ONLINE APPLICATIONS RECEIVED WITHIN THE DEADLINE i.e 11.12.2024 SHALL BE ACCEPTED. NB:- THE ONLINE APPLICATION FORMS IF FOUND DEFECTIVE IN ANY RESPECT, ARE LIABLE TO BE SUMMARILY REJECTED. Non PLACE: CUTTACK SECRETARY DATE : 06.11.2024 ODISHA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, CUTTACK Page 10 of 10 ContdANNEXURE - I MINATION FOR, F ASST: AGRI PAPER —T {Total Marks [100 Total Questions _ |100 (Objective Multiple Choice Questions) Duration 02 hours ONIT-T a ‘SI. No. Topics 1. | Agronomy 2. | Farming System & Sustainable agriculture —_ 3. | Principles of organic farming 7 4. | Crop production technology ‘UNIT-IT SI. No. | Topics 1. _ | Production technology of Horticultural crops (Fruit crops) 2. | Production technology of Horticultural crops (Vegetable crops) 3. | Production technology of Horticultural crops (Floriculture crops) ‘UNIT-TIT Plant Pathology and Microbiology (Disease) SI. No. Topics 1. (Field crops 2. [Horticultural crops a | 3. Entomology 4, |Nematode pests of horticultural crops and their managements ‘UNIT-IV SI. No. Topics _| 1. | Agriculture & Sericulture | Agro-meteorology & Climate change 3. | Forestry + Each question carry 01(one) mark for correct answer. + There shall be negative marking for incorrect answers with a deduction of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer. + There shall be no deduction for un-attempted questions.PAPER — II [Total Marks 100 _— Total Questions | 100 (Objective Multiple Choice Questions) Duration 02 hours UNIT-I ‘Sl.No. | Topics 1. | Geoinformatics and Nano-techonology 2 | Fundamentals of soil science 3. Soil fertility and nutrient management 4. Problematic soils and their management _ UNIT SI. No. Topics 1. | Principles of seed technology xz | Genetics and plant breeding 3. | Introductory crop physiology ‘UNIT-11T ‘SI. No. Topics 1. ___| Fundamentals of agricultural extension education 2 Agricultural Economics 3 Fundamentals of Statistical methods 4. | Agribusiness management 5. | Agricultural marketing, trade prices ‘UNIT-IV SI. No. Topics 1. | Agriculture heritage 2 Farmer empowerment schemes © Each question carry 01(one) mark for correct answer. © There shall be negative marking for incorrect answers with a deduction of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer. © There shall be no deduction for un-attempted questions.ANNEXURE-II AFFIDAVIT 7 sk resident of aged years, No.. as under . do here by solemnly affirm and declare 1. That I am the deponent of this affidavit and permanently residing at .. 2. That I have been released from Military Service on. 3. That since then I am working aS snssmemsuusnee under the Department of. . Govt. of Odisha/Govt. of India. OR That since then I am working as .... OR That I have not secured regular employment in any Civil Posts and Services under Government of Odisha. 4. That this affidavit shall be produced before the competent authority, Odisha Public Service Commission, Cuttack for the purpose of being considered in service under the Ex-Serviceman quota/ not under Ex-Serviceman quota and hence this affidavit. 5. That the facts stated are true to the best of my knowledge, belief and information. Deponent Place: Date: Verification I the above named deponent being present today before the premises do hereby verify and declare that above statements are all tue and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief. Verificant Tidentify the deponent N.B: Strike off the portion which is not applicable.