Amid confusion over rules, recruitment halts in J&K

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 26

Amid uncertainty over new employment process post revocation of Article 370 and Article 35-A, the Jammu and Kashmir government’s fast-track recruitment process to fill vacant posts in various government departments has come to a standstill with recruiting agencies possibly waiting for new selection rules.

Last month, the Jammu & Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) had to postpone all its examinations and interviews scheduled this year following confusion over employment process in the newly created Union Territory of J&K.

The decision was taken against the backdrop of raging debate over the continuity of the commission. Thereafter, the government issued an order on November 14 wherein it was decided that a fresh exercise for the reconstitution of the Public Service Commission (PSC) was required to be initiated, as all appointees were to have held the office till the appointed day (October 31) only.

Similarly, the J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB), another recruiting agency which is mandated to fill non-gazetted categories of posts, is also clueless about the new recruitment rules and is currently completing the selection process for the posts which were advertised before the revocation of J&K’s special status and its bifurcation into two Union Territories (UTs).

“We are presently filling the posts which were advertised earlier (prior to the revocation of Article 370). The selection process for around 1,500 posts in five new government medical colleges in is progress. These posts are at various stages of selection processes, including written examinations and interviews,” Bashir Ahmad Dar, Chairman, JKSSB, told The Tribune after being asked about the delay in issuing fresh notifications for filling vacant posts in different departments.

To a query whether new recruitment rules would be framed for filling different posts in government departments after revocation of J&K’s special status, Dar said, “We have no idea (whether to continue with existing rules). It is up to the government to take call on it.”

Recently, the Lt-Governor of J&K Girish Chandra Murmu had announced that around 40,000 educated local youth would soon be adjusted in different government departments in the UT.

As per the J&K Reorganisation Act-2019, the JKPSC would continue to be recruiting agency for various posts in J&K UT, while recruitments in the UT of Ladakh, carved out of erstwhile J&K state, would be done by the Union Public Service Commission.