J&K Chief Secretary chairs review meeting to fast-track recruitment rule reforms

In a major push to streamline governance and fast-track hiring, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to review and accelerate the updating of Recruitment Rules (RRs) across departments, stressing transparency, efficiency and employee welfare.

Calling for a mission-mode approach, he directed all departments to work in close coordination to finalise the long-pending rules within a fixed timeline, underscoring their critical role in ensuring merit-based recruitment and timely filling of vacancies in the Union Territory’s administration.

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The meeting was attended by the Commissioner Secretary, ARI & Trainings Department, along with Administrative Secretaries of other departments.

While underscoring the importance of timely finalisation of Recruitment Rules, the Chief Secretary directed all Administrative Secretaries to work in close coordination with the ARI & Trainings Department to complete the process within a defined timeframe.

He stressed that updated and well-structured Recruitment Rules are crucial for ensuring a transparent, merit-based and efficient recruitment framework, besides facilitating the prompt filling of vacancies across departments.

Reiterating the government’s commitment towards employee welfare and administrative efficiency, the Chief Secretary issued clear instructions that the entire exercise must be pursued in a mission mode, eliminating delays and ensuring uniformity in recruitment processes across departments.

During the meeting, Commissioner Secretary, ARI & Trainings, Shabnam Shah Kamili, informed that the initiative marks a significant shift towards digital governance. She apprised that a dedicated online portal has been developed in collaboration with BISAG-N for updating Recruitment Rules in a streamlined and efficient manner.

She further informed that, with effect from 1 April, all offline submissions of proposals for Recruitment Rules will be discontinued, and departments will be required to mandatorily route their proposals through the online portal. The portal has already been made fully operational after successful security audits and integration of SMS-based communication features. To ensure a smooth transition, four high-level training sessions have also been conducted for departmental Nodal Officers, she added.

Highlighting the progress achieved so far, it was informed that the Standing Committee constituted for the purpose has maintained a consistent pace of work, having convened 53 meetings since early 2024. Through these deliberations, Recruitment Rules for 33 services have been finalised, while preliminary drafts for 81 additional services have been prepared. Moreover, 12 services have been cleared through Executive Orders to address urgent administrative requirements.

The meeting was also apprised that these concerted efforts are aimed at clearing the existing backlog and aligning departmental structures with contemporary governance requirements and best practices.

Addressing structural gaps and pending issues, it was noted that internal audits have identified key areas requiring immediate attention, including the presence of outdated pay scales linked to the 5th and 6th Pay Commissions, as well as stagnation in “Schedule-I” post allocations.

The Chief Secretary issued specific directions to major departments, including Health, Education, Revenue and Agriculture, to resolve pending mapping issues on priority and finalise their Recruitment Rules without any further delay.