Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission was formed as a separate Public Service Commission for the state of Himachal Pradesh on the 25th of January 1971 and before this date, the responsibility of recruitment of suitable candidates for civil services and other posts in the state of Himachal Pradesh was with the Union Public Service Commission.

Recruitment by Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission:

Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission has called for applications from eligible candidates either through online or through post for the position of Horticulture Development Officer to work for the Horticulture Department of the state and here are the details regarding the notification issued by the commission in this respect:

Name of the Vacancy: Horticulture Development Officer

Number of Vacancies: Total number of vacancy is 32 (backlog vacancies), which is divided among different category of candidates as follows:

• General Ex-Servicemen – 15

• SC – 04

• SC Ex-Servicemen – 02

• OBC – 09

• OBC Ex-Servicemen – 01

• OBC WFF – 01

Salary: Candidates appointed for the position of Horticulture Development Officer, will be paid with a consolidated fixed amount of Rs.10830 per month.

Eligibility requirements:

Education: To apply for the position of Horticulture Development Officer, candidates must have completed their Master of Science in Horticulture/Agriculture with any of the following subjects/disciplines:

• Entomology

• Apiculture/biotechnology

• Plant pathology

• Mycology

• Floriculture & Land scaping

• Post harvest technology/fruit technology

• Pomology

• Fruit breedings & genetic resources

• Agriculture statistics

• Agriculture economics

• Soil science and water management

• Microbiology

• Vegetable crops

However, candidates must be B. Sc in Horticulture or agriculture holders with horticulture as an elective subject.

Desirable qualification: knowledge of dialects, manners and customs of Himachal Pradesh and suitability for employment in peculiar conditions prevailing in the state.

Age: Age requirement as on the 1st of January 2012 is not more than 45 years and upper age relaxation of five years is applicable for reserved category candidates. Relaxation of upper age limit for candidates, who are employees of the government organizations in the state of HP would be according to the rules of government.

Selection Procedure:

On the basis of number of candidates applying for the position, a screening test will be conducted for short listing of candidates to the interview and final selection will be done purely on the basis of performance of candidates in the interview.

Application Fee:

Application fee is Rs.250 (Rs.63 for reserved category candidates) for candidates applying through online and the fee should paid with the help of challan form of Punjab National Bank that can be generated from the website of HPPSC. Candidates, who wish to apply offline can get the application form on payment of Rs.300 from the reception counter HPPSC and even candidates can get application through post by sending Rs.350 for postage charges and application fee.

How to apply:

Candidates can apply both online and offline mode and last date to apply in both cases is 05th of March 2012 and in the case of applying offline, application must be sent to the address given below:

Controller of Examinations,

Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission,

Nigam Vihar,

Shimla- 171002

Last date to apply online/offline: 05th of March 2012

For details, visit http://www.hp.gov.in/hppsc/file.axd?file=2012%2f2%2fAdvt.XI.pdf