Srinagar, Apr 08: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday informed the Assembly that more than 60 percent of employees working in its Resident Commission office in New Delhi and other outstation offices are locals, rejecting the claim that less than 10 percent of the staff belong to the Union Territory.
In a written reply to a question tabled by MLA Tanveer Sadiq, the government said that out of a total of 71 employees posted at its offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Amritsar, 43 are state subjects while 28 are from outside Jammu and Kashmir which accounts for 60.56% local and 39.44% non-local staff.
The reply also clarified that in the Resident Commission office in New Delhi, there are 7 gazetted officers, all of whom are from Jammu and Kashmir, and 24 non-gazetted local staff. Similarly, the Mumbai office has one local non-gazetted employee, Chandigarh has three, Amritsar has two, and five local employees are currently on deputation to J&K.
Refuting the claim that less than 10% of employees are from J&K, the government said that the actual position is that 43 employees (60.56%) are state subjects while 28 (39.44%) are non-state subjects.
When asked whether the government intends to replace non-local staff with qualified locals as done in other state Bhawans and guest houses, the govt said that “no such proposal is under consideration” as of now. However, it clarified that “all new recruitments are being made through the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB), and only qualified local candidates shall be eligible to work in these offices.”
The government also said that priority is already being given to locals. “Senior positions are being manned by officers belonging to IAS/JKAS cadre from J&K UT. Similarly, recruitment for non-gazetted posts is made by JKSSB as per rules,” the reply said.
It further said that three Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) were appointed in recent years through formal government orders—Order No. 16-JK(HP) of 2022 and Order No. 17-JK(HP) of 2022, both dated 29.10.2022.
