Karnataka Agriculture Officer, AAO exams scheduled for August 8, 9 cancelled

The recruitment examination was earlier scheduled for August 8 and 9, with 18,299 candidates expected to appear. KEA had also reviewed preparations for conducting the examination ahead of the scheduled dates.The cancellation comes amid protests by agriculture students in Karnataka over the eligibility criteria for the recruitmentThe Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has cancelled the written examination for the recruitment of Agriculture Officers (AO) and Assistant Agriculture Officers (AAO). The recruitment exams were scheduled to be held on August 8 and 9.KEA Executive Director H Prasanna, IAS, confirmed the development in a statement on Friday.“The written examination scheduled to be held on August 8 and 9 for the recruitment of Agriculture Officer and Assistant Agriculture Officer posts has been cancelled,” Prasanna said.The cancellation comes amid protests by agriculture students in Karnataka over the eligibility criteria for the recruitment. Students have been opposing KEA’s decision to allow Bachelor of Engineering (BE) and Bachelor of Technology (BTech) graduates to apply for the Agriculture Officer and Assistant Agriculture Officer posts. Students from the University of Agricultural Sciences, including those at the Gandhi Krishi Vigyana Kendra (GKVK) campus in Bengaluru, have argued that the posts should be restricted to candidates with agricultural qualifications. They have been protesting against what they view as an expansion of eligibility at the expense of agriculture graduates.WHY KARNATAKA AGRICULTURE OFFICER EXAM WAS CANCELLEDThe issue had reached Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar earlier this week. Agriculture students met the chief minister on August 4 and submitted their grievances regarding the recruitment rules. Shivakumar subsequently announced that the examination would be temporarily postponed, saying the government would address the concerns of agriculture graduates. He also said the government would examine the issue with “sensitivity and fairness”.It is not yet clear when the Agriculture Officer and Assistant Agriculture Officer examinations will be conducted next or whether the eligibility criteria will be revised before the fresh schedule is announced.The recruitment examination was earlier scheduled for August 8 and 9, with 18,299 candidates expected to appear. KEA had also reviewed preparations for conducting the examination ahead of the scheduled dates.- EndsPublished By: Mridusmita DekaPublished On: Aug 7, 2026 12:52 IST