The Centre has relaxed the norms to encourage the All India Services and other Central Services officers to get posted in Jammu and Kashmir. The Union Territory is reeling from a shortage of officers since 2019 after the former State of J&K was split into two, Ladakh being the other UT.
Union Personnel Minister Jitendra Singh said on Friday that the deputation rules have been relaxed by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) to encourage the posting of the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) and the other central services officers to J&K.
“Due to this relaxation, 22 officers belonging to various services and different cadres have been posted in Jammu & Kashmir at various levels at a crucial time,” Mr. Singh said.
A senior government official said that the requirements such as the cooling off period and the stringent norms for inter-cadre deputation have been waved off.
“Inter-cadre deputation is only given under compelling circumstances, one being marriage, now the norms have been liberalised. Recently a senior IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre who did not wish to go back to his cadre was sent to J&K on deputation,” said the official.
Mr. Singh said, the DoPT had played a major role in facilitating the induction of the Jammu & Kashmir Administrative Services Officers (JKAS) into the IAS by coordinating with the UT of J&K, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Union Public Service Commission. “As a result, recently 16 officers from the JKAS have been inducted into the IAS and another 8 such vacancies will be filled up shortly giving opportunities to the JKAS officers to become part of the prestigious IAS service after a long gap of 12 years,” Mr. Singh said.
In 2020, the DoPT wrote to all the States that the State cadres were requested to send the names for deputation to J&K and Ladakh directly to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
“Inter-cadre deputation is only given under compelling circumstances, one being marriage, now the norms have been liberalised”Senior government official
