53,972 Posts Vacant Across JK: Govt

Suhail Khan

Jammu, September 21: 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 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 Kashmir Convener said the committee — constituted through 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 said 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 has been tasked with formulating a uniform, legally enforceable framework that is administratively implementable across all departments. The government said consultations with concerned departments on administrative, legal and financial perspectives are required before a final policy decision is taken.

On the question of wages, the government asserted that DRWs and Casual Seasonal Labourers (CSLWs) are being paid “as per minimum wages notified by the government,” adding that payments are being made as per the guidelines and terms and conditions under which the workers were engaged.

In a significant disclosure, the government provided a detailed breakdown of sanctioned vacancies under the Direct Recruitment Quota. According to the reply, 53,972 posts are currently vacant — 3,318 Gazetted, 24,427 Non-Gazetted and 12,927 MTS (Multi-Tasking Staff).

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 filling of these posts, the government said 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 returned to departments after the issuance of S.O 176 of 2024 dated 15.03.2024. In 2025 so far, 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 said it is leveraging technology to expedite recruitment and has issued directions to all departments for 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.