Jammu, Feb 4: J&K government has withdrawn all the posts referred to Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) and Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) prior to October 31, 2019.
These posts will be those for which selections have not been finalized till date. They will also include the posts against which there are litigations and the cases are pending in the courts.
Directive in this connection was issued pursuant to the Administrative Council (AC) decision taken in its meeting on January 29, 2022.
A General Administration Department (GAD) communiqué addressed to all the Administrative Secretaries on February 3, 2022, read, “The Administrative Council, vide decision No.: 1/1/2022 dated January 29, 2022, has directed- ‘All posts referred to JKPSC/JKSSB prior to October 31,2019, for which selections have not been finalized till date, as also the posts in which there are litigations and the cases are pending in courts, shall be deemed to have been withdrawn with immediate effect’.”
“Accordingly, all concerned are directed to implement these directions of Administrative Council in letter and spirit under an intimation to the GAD,” the communiqué further read, while issuing instructions to the Secretaries of two selection bodies as well.
JKPSC conducts examinations and makes selections for all gazetted posts while JKSSB is a service recruiting board constituted by the government that conducts examinations to various departmental services or non-gazetted posts in the Union Territory of J&K.
The decision, being directly related to unemployed youth, has been gleefully lapped up by the opposition parties to slam the UT government. It evoked strong reaction from both the political parties as well as youth bodies.
Congress, after getting a whiff of this decision, was quick to react and hit out at the government, while accusing the BJP of resorting to “anti-youth policies.”
JKPCC working president Raman Bhalla opposed the decision of the ruling dispensation to withdraw all the posts referred for recruitment before October 31, 2019.
While interacting with aggrieved people from different areas of Jammu region on Friday, Bhalla alleged that it was “another gimmick of the government to deny employment opportunities to the local youth of J&K.
“Before October 31, 2019, the residents of J&K had a job and land rights and only local youth were eligible to apply for the posts advertised by Public Service Commission (PSC) and Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board (JKSSB). By withdrawing all such posts J&K government is trying to play with the future of local youth. This is nothing but a cruel joke with those thousands of candidates who have applied for these posts and many of those have cleared written tests,” Bhalla said. He warned that Congress would oppose such “anti-people decisions of the J&K administration with full force.”
“There is no logic to withdraw these posts and the recruitment of all posts advertised before October 31, 2019, should be made. Recruitment agencies in J&K are infamous for taking years together for completing the recruitment process,” he said.
Bhalla also expressed shock over the government’s move to abolish SRO-43 stating that it would be a grave injustice with the government employees of J&K.
Prior to him, JKPCC president G A Mir too had alleged that the government of the day was “totally indifferent towards the unemployed educated youth, as all selections initiated prior to the Reorganisation Act, 2019 were withheld and recalled while the candidates were protesting on roads for completion of the process.”
Mir further alleged, “These candidates, who had already applied and undergone some selection process, were being made to wait for three years for facilitating the new eligible candidates from outside J&K, after the Reorganization Act 2019.”
“J&K government has directed the recruiting agencies PSC and Service Selection Board to withhold the selection process initiated prior to the J&K Re-organization Act. This is a great injustice to all those who were already in the process of selections for different categories of posts advertised prior to the implementation of J&K Reorganization Act 2019. The ruling BJP is totally silent over the plight of unemployed educated youth while the government uses police force to suppress the voice of youth agitating for their genuine rights,” Mir had stated.
Apni Party J&K general secretary Vikram Malhotra said that the withdrawal of the advertised posts by the government through a General Administration Department order was a serious injustice to the unemployed youth of J&K.
“The government has played with the future of the youth with their decisions taken without consultation. The youth were preparing for the advertised vacant posts by appearing in the exams to be conducted by J&K Public Service Commission and J&K Services Selection Board. However, the withdrawal of the posts has created an atmosphere of uncertainty,” Malhotra said.
Terming the government decision as unfortunate, he said, “The unemployment is highest ever in J&K and there are no job opportunities for the unemployed youth. Hence, the educated youth are becoming over aged. The government should reconsider the decision and hold exams for the advertised posts which have now been withdrawn in a very unfortunate manner.”