Pledges faster, transparent hiring in J&K

By Kashmir Impulse Desk

Jammu, March 31

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Tuesday that his government was working to accelerate public sector hiring while avoiding the legal disputes that have stalled recruitment drives in the past, as officials aim to fill at least 25,000 vacancies this year.

Speaking during Question Hour in the Legislative Assembly, CM Omar said the administration was seeking a balance between speed and procedural rigor after earlier recruitment efforts were delayed by court challenges.

“Time-bound recruitment does not mean we move with such haste that the process ends up in court and gets stuck,” he said, responding to concerns raised by Waheed-ur-Rehman Para of the People’s

Democratic Party (PDP), who pointed to the large number of unfilled posts across government departments.

The CM said that in previous instances, recruitment lists were challenged soon after publication, leading to prolonged litigation. In some cases, he said, delays were so extensive that candidates aged out of eligibility before the disputes were resolved.

He said that the government had already begun the process of filling vacancies, with an emphasis on transparency and adherence to established procedures.

According to figures presented in the Assembly, more than 59,000 positions remain vacant across 38 departments.

These include roughly 48,958 non-gazetted posts and 10,217 gazetted posts, spanning both direct recruitment and promotions.

Of these, about 28,000 vacancies fall under direct recruitment, while the remainder are to be filled through promotions.

At the district level, officials reported over 19,000 unfilled positions across Jammu and Kashmir’s 20 districts. CM Omar said that in 2025, nearly 1000 gazetted posts had been referred to the Jammu and Kashmir

Public Service Commission, while more than 6000 non-gazetted vacancies were sent to the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board for hiring.

In a separate response to a question from Nizamuddin Bhat of the Indian National Congress, the CM said that a long-pending cadre review of the Jammu and Kashmir Accounts (Gazetted) Service had yet to be completed.

He said that a committee formed last year was examining the issue with proposals currently under review by the General Administration Department (GAD).

CM Omar said that while no formal career progression framework exists for the service, a separate committee had been tasked with evaluating an Assured Career Progression mechanism for various departments, including the accounts service.

Lawmakers urged the government to move quickly to streamline hiring and prevent further delays, warning that prolonged vacancies risked undermining administrative efficiency and limiting opportunities for job seekers.

The CM said the government intended to proceed with caution, seeking to avoid the legal bottlenecks

that have complicated recruitment in the past while ensuring that the process moves forward.