SRINAGAR — The Jammu and Kashmir government has constituted a high-level committee to examine the regularisation of casual, seasonal and other temporary workers, while a written reply tabled in the Legislative Assembly has cited 53,972 vacant posts under the Direct Recruitment Quota.
The committee was constituted through Government Order No. 384-JK(GAD) of 2025 dated March 19, 2025, issued by the General Administration Department. Its mandate includes examining humanitarian, legal and financial issues related to the regularisation of casual, seasonal labourers and other workers and suggesting a comprehensive way forward.
The government told the Assembly, in reply to a starred question raised by Wagoora-Kreeri MLA Irfan Hafiz Lone, that the regularisation issue covers daily-rated workers, casual and seasonal workers and other temporary employees engaged under varying terms across departments.
The General Administration Department said any proposed policy would have to conform to applicable statutory provisions, legal positions and the prescribed recruitment framework while taking into account the resulting financial implications.
The government also said consultations with the concerned departments on administrative, legal and financial aspects would be required before a final policy decision is taken.
On wages, the government said daily-rated workers and Casual Seasonal Labourers (CSLWs) are being paid according to the minimum wages notified by the government and in accordance with the guidelines and terms under which they were engaged.
Govt cites large vacancy backlog
According to the Assembly reply reported by news agency KNS, 53,972 posts are currently vacant under the Direct Recruitment Quota. The figures cited include 3,318 Gazetted posts, 24,427 Non-Gazetted posts and 12,927 Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) posts.
The Health and Medical Education Department was cited as having the largest number of vacancies, including 2,125 Gazetted and 8,064 Non-Gazetted posts.
Other departments with significant vacancies include School Education, Agriculture Production and Home, while Finance and the General Administration Department were also reported to have vacant Gazetted posts.
The government said it was taking steps to expedite recruitment through timely identification and referral of vacancies, advance planning of recruitment cycles and monitoring of timelines.
A total of 2,150 posts were referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) during the last two years, according to the reply. Health and Medical Education accounted for 794 of these, followed by School Education with 594 and Higher Education with 286.
Departments also referred 11,582 posts to the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) during 2024 and another 6,340 posts during 2025, according to the data cited by KNS.
The government said the 2024 figure included posts that had subsequently been returned to departments following issuance of S.O. 176 of 2024.
It also said directions had been issued for timely referral of vacancies falling under the Direct Recruitment Quota, along with greater use of technology and monitoring of recruitment timelines.
ReT service and pension benefits
In a separate reply to a question raised by MLA Reyaz Ahmad Khan concerning Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers, the government referred to Cabinet Decision No. 115/09/2014 and Government Order No. 469-Edu of 2014.
The provision allows the initial five years of service rendered by ReT teachers on an honorarium basis before regularisation to count as qualifying service for pensionary and other retirement benefits. The provision has also been upheld in litigation concerning the ReT scheme.
The government’s response comes as the Assembly considers demands and policy issues relating to temporary workers, vacancies and recruitment during the ongoing autumn session.
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