KNS Special Correspondent

Jammu, Sep 21(KNS) : The Jammu and Kashmir government has constituted a high-level committee to examine the legal and financial feasibility of regularising thousands of temporary and casual workers in the Union Territory, even as official data tabled in the Legislative Assembly has revealed a staggering backlog of 53,972 vacant posts across various departments.

In a written reply to a starred question raised by MLA (Wagoora-Kreeri ) Irfan Hafiz Lone during the autumn Session of the J&K Legislative Assembly, the General Administration Department (GAD) as per news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) stated that the committee — constituted via Government Order No. 384-JK(GAD) of 2025 dated March 19, 2025 — is undertaking a comprehensive examination of the matter.

The government acknowledged that the regularisation issue involves a diverse set of workers, including daily-rated workers (DRWs), casual, seasonal, and other temporary employees engaged under varying terms across different departments.

The GAD noted that the proposed policy must conform to applicable statutory provisions, legal positions, and the prescribed recruitment framework while duly accounting for consequential financial implications.

The committee is tasked with formulating a uniform, legally enforceable framework that is administratively implementable across all departments. The government stated that consultations with concerned departments on administrative, legal, and financial perspectives are required before a final policy decision is taken.

Addressing concerns regarding payment of wages, the government asserted that DRWs and Casual Seasonal Labourers (CSLWs) are being paid "as per Minimum Wages notified by the Government." It added that wages are being paid as per the guidelines and terms and conditions under which the workers were engaged.

*Over 53,000 vacancies across J&K*

In a significant disclosure, the government provided a detailed breakdown of sanctioned vacancies available under the Direct Recruitment Quota. According to the reply, a total of 53,972 posts are currently vacant. This includes 3,318 Gazetted posts, 24,427 Non-Gazetted posts, and 12,927 MTS (Multi-Tasking Staff) posts.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

The Health and Medical Education Department holds the highest number of vacancies (2,125 Gazetted and 8,064 Non-Gazetted), followed by the Agriculture Production Department and the Home Department. Other departments with significant vacancies include School Education (594 Gazetted posts), Finance (125 Gazetted posts), and the General Administration Department (71 Gazetted posts).

To expedite the filling of these posts, the government stated it has taken several measures, including timely identification and referral of vacancies to recruiting agencies.

According to the data, 2,150 posts were referred to the J&K Public Service Commission (JKPSC) during the last two years. The Health and Medical Education Department accounted for 794 of these referrals, followed by School Education (594) and Higher Education (286).

As many as 11,582 posts were referred to the J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB) during 2024. This figure includes posts that were returned to departments after the issuance of S.O 176 of 2024 dated 15.03.2024. In 2025 so far, a total of 6,340 posts have been referred to the JKSSB, with the Home Department (2,766) and Finance Department (1,217) leading the referrals.

The government emphasised that it is leveraging technology to expedite recruitment and has issued directions to all departments for the timely referral of vacancies falling under the direct quota, as per SRO-166 of 2005 and Circular No. 01-JK(GAD) of 2024. It also cited advance planning of recruitment cycles and close monitoring of timelines at various stages.

In a separate reply to a question raised by MLA Reyaz Ahmad Khan regarding Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers, the government as per KNS confirmed that it intends to count the entire period of service rendered by them for pensionary benefits.

The government cited Cabinet Decision No. 115/09/2014 dated 19.06.2014, stating that the initial five years of pre-regularisation service rendered on an honorarium basis by ReT teachers will be counted as qualifying service for pensionary and other retirement benefits, as notified vide GO No. 469-Edu of 2014. (KNS)