SRINAGAR, Mar 14: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today informed the J&K Legislative Assembly that the finalisation of the syllabus for the 2018-24 batches of J&K Administrative Services is in its final stages, and the examinations will be conducted soon thereafter.
Responding to a supplementary question from Member Aijaz Ahmad Jan, the Chief Minister acknowledged the delays but assured that the process is now nearing completion.
“The government has gradually streamlined these processes, which had been delayed for some time. However, the complexity of the revision caused an unavoidable delay. This is the first syllabus revision since 2000—after nearly 25 years—which required significant changes,” he said.
Ajaz Ahmad Jan, MLA from Poonch, had raised a starred question, seeking reasons for not declaring the 2018 and 2019 batches of junior JKAS officers as quasi-permanent despite completing five years of service. And that no exam has been held for the batches of 2018-24 for want of updation of syllabus.
In a written response, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also holds charge of the General Administration Department, said, “Rule 16 of SRO 386 mandates that probationers must pass the departmental examination within two years of their appointment to be confirmed in service. However, the departmental examination for these officers was delayed due to significant changes brought about by the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019. This Act led to the reorganization of the erstwhile state into two separate Union Territories, necessitating a comprehensive revision of laws, statutes, and regulations, including those governing the departmental examination. Consequently, the syllabus had to be thoroughly revised to align with the new governance structure, administrative framework, and updated legal provisions introduced by the Reorganization Act.
According to Government Order No. 1514-JK(GAD) of 2023, dated 30.11.2023, a committee was constituted to finalise the syllabus for the JKAS probationers’ departmental examination.
“Every effort is being made to expedite the finalisation of the syllabus, and once it is approved, necessary steps for conducting the examination will be initiated without delay, ensuring that the probationers are assessed in accordance with the prescribed guidelines. The confirmation of probation for these officers, which is contingent upon the successful completion of the examination, will be processed promptly in line with the relevant service rules,” the response further added.
Jan expressed satisfaction with the Chief Minister’s response and said, “I am satisfied with it. I have a request to the Chief Minister—this is a big issue. The 2018-19 batch’s exams have been delayed a lot,” he said. “I request the Chief Minister to expedite this process so that our officers can move forward in their careers.”
Responding to the supplementary question, CM Omar said, “What the MLA has said is correct. We also want this process to be completed.”
He said that after formation of the government they have been addressing several pending matters. “But I would like to tell the MLA that it took time because the process was very complicated. After 2000, the syllabus is being revised for the first time, meaning after 25 years,” he said.
CM said, “It is obvious that there will be a lot of changes. Along with that, we tried to compare the draft syllabus with the syllabus of other states and UTs, and if there is any change that needs to be made, they will do that (make). Different departments, whether it is (be) revenue, law, or information technology, have taken inputs from all of these (them).”
“We have also requested other IAS officers to contribute to this process. The final draft is now ready. I would like to assure the House, through the Honourable Member, that we will complete this process within a month,” he added.
