| 32,474 posts vacant in departments | | |  Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 20: The Government on Thursday admitted that 32,474 posts have been lying vacant in different departments, despite the fact that 13,466 non-gazetted vacancies have already been referred for recruitment.
As per the written reply tabled in the House, out of these vacant posts, there are 7,851 vacancies in the Health and Medical Education Department, making it the most affected sector. Out of these 7852 vacancies 1584 are gazetted, 4603 are non-gazetted, and 1664 MTS.
Lying nearly 8000 vacant posts is a clear indication that functioning of the crucial health department is badly affected due to the shortage of staff.
In a written reply in the Legislative Assembly, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah stated that his government aims to fill 7,253 vacancies—both gazetted and non-gazetted—by the end of the year. He also noted that 11,526 selections had been completed across these categories in the past two years.
As the head of the General Administration Department (GAD), the Chief Minister detailed the recruitment targets, stating that 1,502 gazetted vacancies and 5,751 non-gazetted vacancies are scheduled to be filled this year.
Responding to a query from BJP MLA Satish Kumar Sharma, the Chief Minister provided a breakdown of the 32,474 vacant positions across 38 government departments as of January 31, 2025 included 2,503 gazetted posts, 19,214 non-gazetted posts and 10,757 Class-IV (MTS) posts
Among these, 7,851 vacancies are in the Health and Medical Education Department, making it the most affected sector.
To address the issue, the Chief Minister outlined key recruitment measures.
He said that 13,466 non-gazetted vacancies were referred to the J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB) over the past two years, resulting in 9,351 selections.
2,390 gazetted vacancies were referred to the J&K Public Service Commission (JKPSC), with 2,175 positions filled.
10,757 Class-IV (MTS) vacancies are under Finance Department scrutiny before referral for recruitment.
More than 6,000 vacancies are ready for referral and will be sent to recruiting agencies shortly.
To speed up the recruitment process, the government abolished interviews for posts up to Pay Level 5 (Rs 29,200–92,300) through S.O. 180 (dated 28.05.2020).
Additionally, interviews for Level 6 posts, including Junior Engineers and Naib Tehsildars, have been eliminated via S.O. 36 of 2025 (dated 14.02.2025). Departments have been directed to identify additional Level 6 posts where interviews can be removed to further accelerate hiring. |
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