Sawant sacked from MCAER post

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MCAER is the apex body that regulates agriculture universities in Maharashtra, and oversees educational and research activities of the four universities and over a hundred colleges that offer undergraduate and post-graduate courses in agriculture and allied fields.

Sawant, who hails from Chakurdi village near Karad in Satara district, had been posted in Pune for several years now.  He is an officer from the Maharashtra Public Services and was promoted to the IAS cadre in 1998.  He was appointed the Director General of MCAER on June 26,  2011. Prior to this appointment, he served in various positions in sports, social welfare and state agriculture departments. He is scheduled to retire in June 2015. He had served as Resident Deputy Collector of Pune earlier.

“There are about 40-odd employees — regular and contractual — at MCAER headquarters. Nine are women. There’s a committee to address complaints of sexual harassment by female employees and it’s headed by a woman director. The committee – so far – has not received any complaints,” said an official with the agriculture department who did not wish to be not named.

On Friday, heavy security was deployed at MCAER headquarters and visitors — without prior appointment — were not allowed in. Police are yet to make enquiries with colleagues at MCAER.