Over 40,000 posts vacant across departments in J&K: Govt

Srinagar, Sep 21: Jammu and Kashmir Government on Monday informed the Legislative Assembly that 40,672 posts are vacant under the direct recruitment quota across various departments in the Union Territory.
While responding to MLA Sajad Gani Lone and Irfan Hafiz Lone’s queries, the government stated that the vacancies include 3,318 Gazetted, 24,427 Non-Gazetted and 12,927 Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) posts.
The Health and Medical Education Department has the highest number of vacancies at 12,797, comprising 2,125 Gazetted, 8,064 Non-Gazetted and 2,608 MTS posts.
The Agriculture Production, Animal/Sheep Husbandry and Horticulture Department has 4,939 vacancies, including 84 Gazetted, 1,925 Non-Gazetted and 2,930 MTS posts.
Similarly, Public Works (R&B) has 2,190 vacant posts, Housing and Urban Development 2,741, Finance 1,829, Industries and Commerce 1,787, Forest, Ecology and Environment 1,619, and School Education 1,364 vacancies.
The data further shows Power Development has 1,264 vacant posts, Youth Services and Sports 1,369, Jal Shakti 1,019, Revenue 1,208 and Rural Development and Panchayati Raj 836 vacancies.
The government said details of vacancies and posts referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) and Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) have been appended separately.
It said measures being taken to ensure time-bound filling of vacancies include timely identification and referral of posts to recruiting agencies, adherence to the prescribed statutory framework, advance planning of recruitment cycles and close monitoring of recruitment timelines.
The government further said efforts were being made to streamline procedures, strengthen coordination with recruiting agencies and leverage technology to expedite the recruitment process while ensuring transparency, fairness and merit.
It added that directions had already been issued to all departments for timely referral of vacancies falling under the direct quota to recruiting agencies in accordance with SRO-166 of 2005 dated June 14, 2005, and Circular No. 01-JK(GAD) of 2024 dated January 1, 2024. (KNO)