Exercise nearing completion after 10 years
Shortage of officers to be over to some extent
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 6: After Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services (JKAS) and Jammu and Kashmir Police Services (JKPS), the UT Government has a good news now for Forest officers with decks almost cleared for induction of 32 officers into Indian Forest Services (IFoS) as the process is likely to be completed within a month’s time.
The Jammu and Kashmir Forest Department has, this time, expanded the ambit for induction of officers into IFoS by including Wildlife and Soil Conservation wings of the Department notwithstanding objections to the move by SFS officers.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Forest Department headed by Dheeraj Gupta has conducted months long exercise for induction of SFS and other eligible officers of the Forest Department and its allied wings, Wildlife and Soil Conservation, into IFoS and the process is now nearing completion.
“A total of 32 SFS (State Forest Services) and other officers will be inducted into IFoS within a month’s time,” they said.
Following completion of induction exercise by the Forest Department of the UT Government, a meeting will be convened with the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) and Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) which will formally clear the inductions, the sources said, adding that no major problems are expected to crop up as there are 32 clear vacancies for induction of UT officers into IFoS.
“The inductions of SFS officers into IFoS haven’t been carried out for last almost 10 years now as the exercise, though undertaken at some point of time, wasn’t taken to logical conclusion, a result of which the eligible officers continued to suffer,” the sources said.
Total strength of IFoS officers in Jammu and Kashmir is 106. Of them, 51 are in place though as per the official list uploaded by the Forest Department, 50 IFoS officers are shown including 49 Regular Recruits and one promotee from SFS. Some of the officers are on Central deputation.
After the Central Government in 2014 reverted to 67:33 quota in All India Services for Jammu and Kashmir at par with other States/Union Territories as against 50:50 which was prevalent in UPA Government, the number of vacancies to be filled from UT officers in IFoS have been worked out at 32, the officials said, adding the exercise is now nearing completion for the inductions.
However, the SFS officers are reportedly not very upbeat. Though they welcome the inductions which are being done after nearly a decade by the Forest Department, they are of the view that inclusion of Wildlife and Soil Conservation Department officials into IFoS will not only mar their prospectus but will also set “wrong precedent” as they haven’t completed mandatory two years training at Coimbatore or Dehradun like them.
However, the Forest Department which has expanded the induction process by including Wildlife and Soil Conservation Gazetted officials for inductions, were of the view that the exercise is “well thought process” as all officers deserve inductions.
The SFS officials are of the view that in most parts of the country, only Territorial wing officials are inducted into the IFoS.
Induction of 32 officers into IFoS will help the Government overcome shortage of the officers in Jammu and Kashmir, the officers said.
The proposed induction of 32 officers into IFoS shortly comes close on the heels of 27 JKPS officers making it to the IPS last week followed by exercise undertaken by the GAD for induction of 24 JKAS officers into IAS also close to reaching logical conclusion.
This, as per the officials, will benefit a lot to local officers of Jammu and Kashmir who will make it to the All India Services.
In July 2021, 13 JKPS officers were inducted into IPS after more than a decade. In August 2022, 17 JKAS officers were inducted into IAS after 12 years.
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