CS favours adoption of online systems for recruitment rules updation, DPCs

Srinagar, Aug 19: The Jammu and Kashmir administration is set to introduce a major governance reform aimed at digitizing and streamlining the updation of Recruitment Rules (RRs) and the timely conduct of Departmental Promotion Committees (DPCs) across all government departments.An official statement issued here said that the initiative took shape during a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, and attended by Administrative Secretaries of major departments, including the Commissioner Secretary, ARI and Trainings Department. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Secretary emphasized that addressing human resource (HR) issues of employees is as critical as other administrative priorities. He observed that neglecting matters such as promotions and recruitment rules negatively impacts employee morale and overall departmental performance.Highlighting the role of technology in governance, he underscored the need for an IT-based mechanism to make these processes transparent, efficient, and time-bound. He urged BISAG-N to develop a dedicated portal for both RR updation and DPCs, which would allow for smooth, exclusive, and real-time online operations, ensuring better monitoring and accountability. To take the reform forward, the Chief Secretary directed for constitution of a committee chaired by the Principal Secretary, PWD, with Commissioner Secretary, GAD, and Commissioner Secretary, ARI & Trainings as members. The Committee has been tasked with working out the modalities for early implementation of the system. He also directed the ARI & Trainings Department to build the capacity of officers by organizing training programmes once the system is rolled out. The aim should be to create a system that is not only efficient and transparent but employee-friendly too, he noted. It was revealed that this system is going to provide unique proposal IDs and department-specific dashboards for real-time submission and tracking. It would also enshrine in itself the online uploading of checklists and draft documents besides sending automated alerts to notify departments of pending actions and deadlines. Moreover, it was highlighted that the smooth functioning of this portal demands appointment and training of Nodal Officers in each department by ARI and Trainings Department along with creation of a centralized digital repository of all Recruitment Rules. A detailed timeline was presented in the meeting, with the entire cycle right from receipt of proposals to Standing Committee recommendations expected to be completed within defined deadlines. The process will include a preliminary review within 15 days, followed by examination and final recommendations in a set timeframe.