JAMMU, March 31: The Jammu and Kashmir government is actively pursuing a recruitment strategy that balances transparency with speed, aiming to avoid the legal challenges that have previously stalled the hiring process. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah emphasized this approach, stating that the administration is drawing lessons from past experiences where recruitment drives became entangled in protracted legal disputes.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that the government has initiated the process to fill approximately 25,000 vacancies within the current fiscal year, a figure previously announced by the Chief Minister during the session.
Abdullah articulated this stance while responding to a supplementary question raised by Peoples Democratic Party MLA Waheed-Ur-Rehman Para during the Question Hour in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. Para had expressed concern over the significant number of vacant positions across government departments and inquired about plans for a time-bound recruitment process.
The Chief Minister acknowledged the desire for a swift and transparent recruitment system but cautioned against undue haste that could invite litigation. “Timebound (recruitment) does not mean that we demonstrate such an expediency (in recruitment) that the matter lands in the court and gets stuck there,” Abdullah stated. He recalled instances where recruitment lists, once finalized, were challenged in courts, leading to the complete suspension of the process and causing considerable delays that resulted in many eligible youth exceeding the age limit for the coveted positions.
Therefore, the government’s core objective is to harmonize these competing demands by adhering to due process, upholding transparency, and simultaneously accelerating the recruitment timeline. The commitment to filling at least 25,000 vacancies this year has been reiterated, with the commencement of the necessary procedures already underway.
Earlier in the session, Abdullah had informed the assembly that a substantial number of posts, totaling 48,958 non-gazetted and 10,217 gazetted positions, remained unfilled across 38 government departments. These vacancies were categorized under both direct recruitment and promotion quotas.
Under the direct recruitment quota, 24,507 non-gazetted and 3,808 gazetted posts were vacant. Concurrently, the promotion quota showed 24,451 non-gazetted and 6,409 gazetted posts as unfilled. At the district level, the statistics indicated a significant deficit, with 16,812 non-gazetted and 2,798 gazetted positions vacant across all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Chief Minister also provided details on recruitment referrals made in the preceding year, 2025. As many as 959 gazetted vacancies were referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission, while 6,340 non-gazetted posts were sent to the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board for the recruitment process.
In a separate response to a question from Congress MLA Nizam-ud-Din Bhat concerning cadre review, Abdullah informed the House that no cadre review had been conducted to date for the Jammu and Kashmir Accounts (Gazetted) Service. However, he noted that a committee comprising senior officials was constituted via Government Order No. 276 of 2024, dated August 22, 2024, to undertake a comprehensive review of this service, with the proposal currently under examination by the General Administration Department.
Furthermore, Abdullah clarified that there is no existing career progression scheme specifically for the Jammu and Kashmir Accounts (Gazetted) Service. He added that the government had, through Government Order No. 1339 JKGAD dated July 9, 2024, established a sub-committee to investigate issues related to Assured Career Progression (ACP) for various services, including the J&K Accounts (Gazetted) Service. The proposal has been submitted to this committee for its appraisal.
Responding to suggestions from Bhat for expeditious disposal of cases and the implementation of a harmonious policy to prevent the accumulation of liabilities, the Chief Minister assured that the government’s efforts are directed towards creating a more efficient and legally sound recruitment framework.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
