The Lieutenant Governor’s administration has rejected the Public Service Commission (PSC) recommendations on recruitment for the new Union Territory (UT) of Jammu & Kashmir, as the High Court on Wednesday withdrew notices allowing outsiders to apply for posts here.
The recommendations of PSC chairman Latief-u-Zaman Deva, accessed by The Hindu , showed that the UT’s top hiring agency with mandate to formulate recruitment and promotion policy had suggested “separate employment policy” for J&K. The commission, retained in the J&K Reorganisation Act, was made inoperational for unknown reasons on October 31.
The PSC, headed by Mr. Deva then, had suggested that local language test should be made mandatory for all those applying for jobs in J&K. It argued that recruiting outsiders without knowledge of the local languages “will impact functioning of the departments, especially the education department.”
The commission also recommended that only those who have been living is J&K for at least 15 years should be made eligible for jobs.
In a place where government is the biggest recruitment agency, the recent advertisements of posts by the High Court, allowing outsiders to apply, evoked sharp reactions in Jammu’s Hindu belt.
The growing anger, even within the saffron and regional parties in Jammu, forced the authorities to withdraw the notices to throw open jobs to outsiders.
“[Advertisements for] Applications invited for different posts in non-gazetted category in the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir stand withdrawn with immediate effect,” High Court registrar Sanjay Dhar said. Around 55 vacancies had been notified.
There has been no reaction from the Kashmir Valley.
J&K National Panthers Party chairman Harsh Dev Singh told The Hindu that the High Court decision was a “welcome move.”
“The jobs in J&K need to be restricted to local youth. And the government needs to come out with constitutional safeguards in this regard. The NPP is already fighting for safeguarding the interests of local youth. We had even submitted a memo in this regard in the Prime Minister's Office,” said Mr. Singh.
Sources said top BJP leaders in Jammu on Wednesday held meetings with party workers and informed them that the BJP will also push for safeguarding the job and land rights of locals.
Earlier, BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav categorically denied any proposal to extend Article 371, which creates special provisions for locals in jobs and land, to J&K.
