Tamil Nadu govt regularises 78 ST anti-poaching watchers' services

UDHAGAMANDALAM: The Tamil Nadu government on Friday regularised the services of 78 anti-poaching watchers (APWs) belonging to scheduled tribes who completion 10 years in service in various divisions in the state. They will be posted as forest watchers.
Supriya Sahu, additional chief secretary for environment, climate change and forest department, said, "Several representations were received in the past from APWs belonging to scheduled tribes.They could not be regularised due to their inability to fulfil the conditions of height and chest. They were not able to read or write in Tamil."
She said, "The government examined the issue in consultation with the principal chief conservator of forests Considering their critical roles in forest and wildlife conservation, the government relaxed some provisions of the Tamil Nadu Forest Subordinate Service Special Rules to regularise 78 APWs." After screening 161 scheduled tribe APWs, the TN Forest Uniformed Service Recruitment Committee found only 94 eligible for regularisation to the post of forest watcher. Of the 94 eligible candidates, 38 APWs fulfilled all the criteria. 23 APWs are regularised under the special provisions, but with the condition that they must learn to read and write in Tamil within a year of appointment. Else, their second and continuous increment will be withheld, she said
Ten APWs, who do not fulfil the height and chest criteria, are regularised under the special provision in the rule. The remaining seven are regularised by relaxing the rules on physical fitness and reading and writing in Tamil, but with the condition that they should learn to read and write in Tamil within a year of appointment.
The remaining 27 candidates were not considered for various other reasons.