Bhopal, March 5 (NationPress) The President of the Madhya Pradesh Congress, Jitu Patwari, has addressed a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, emphasizing that a significant number of positions in various state government departments, particularly in agriculture, remain unfilled.

In his correspondence, the Congress leader pointed out that despite Chief Minister Mohan Yadav's announcement of 2026 as the 'Krishi Kalyan Varsh' (Farmers Welfare Year), the agricultural framework in the state is currently "deteriorating" due to the government's "indifference".

Patwari expressed, "The government of Mohan Yadav in Madhya Pradesh has proclaimed the year 2026 as the Farmer Welfare Year, yet the real condition of the administrative system renders this declaration a cruel joke," in his letter.

He cited official data from the Agriculture Department indicating that out of 14,537 authorized positions, a staggering 8,468 remain vacant, which translates to nearly 60 percent of the workforce being absent. The remaining personnel are purportedly tasked with addressing the issues faced by farmers throughout the state.

The Congress leader noted that similar conditions exist in various other departments. For instance, of the 1,290 roles within the Fisheries Department, 722 are unfilled. Additionally, the Horticulture Department has 1,459 vacancies out of 3,079 authorized posts.

Patwari asserted that approximately 35 percent of positions are unoccupied in the Cooperative Department, while the Food Commission has 48 out of 61 positions vacant.

He raised concerns regarding the critical shortage at the senior levels of agricultural administration, revealing that out of 182 sanctioned roles for senior officials, 113 are vacant, including essential positions such as Additional Director, Joint Director, and Deputy Director. The issues at the grassroots level are even more alarming," Patwari's letter stated.

He went on to note that nearly 60 percent of positions such as Rural Agricultural Extension Officers are also "vacant", despite these officers being regarded as vital for delivering government programs and providing technical guidance to farmers.

Experts unanimously agree that this staffing "deficit" is adversely affecting initiatives like crop loss assessments and soil health cards at the grassroots level.

"The same dire situation is observable in the state's agricultural institutions, where 557 out of 1,065 positions are vacant in the Directorate of Agricultural Engineering. In the Seed and Farm Development Corporation, 5 out of 14 positions are unoccupied, while the Organic Certification Institute has 8 out of 23 vacancies and the Agricultural Extension Training Institute has 27 out of 49 roles unfilled," he concluded.