PSC nominates Member as Chairman, meeting by April end
All formalities completed, legal wrangles not to be hurdle
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 5: After a little less than four years, induction of 23 officers of Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services (JKAS) into IAS is going to be a reality, most likely by the end of this month as the Jammu and Kashmir administration has completed all formalities and the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) has nominated one of its members as Chairman of the Committee to take up the inductions.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the UT administration has finally referred 23 vacancies against the years 2019 and 2020 for induction of JKAS officers into IAS, to the UPSC, which has to convene final meeting to finalize the inductions. The UPSC has also nominated one of its members as the Chairman of the Committee for J&K which will include three senior officers of the Union Territory including the Chief Secretary, one of the Additional Chief Secretaries and the Administrative Secretary, General Administration Department (GAD).
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This is after little less than four years that the JKAS officers are being inducted into IAS. The last induction took place on August 4, 2022 when 16 JKAS officers made it to the IAS. Since then, the inductions didn’t take place despite identification of vacancies because of legal wrangles.
Sources, however, said the legal issues still persist but they will not come in the way of inductions as these matters have been conveyed to the UPSC. A way out is likely to be found in the meeting either by clearing vacancies subject to outcome of petitions or by keeping some vacancies reserved.
“The final meeting is expected to be held in Jammu by the end of this month,” the sources said, adding the JKAS officers likely to be inducted into IAS will be from 1999 batch. However, they will get AGMUT cadre.
Sources said once 23 vacancies of IAS from JKAS are filled, the new vacancies for next years will be identified. This will help the JKAS officers to overcome stagnation.
On August 4, 2022, 16 JKAS officers were inducted into IAS. A total of 28 JKAS officers were cleared for induction on July 8, 2022 but 11 of them were later dropped as eight had retired from the services, two refused induction and one had died while fate of another was kept in sealed cover.
Induction of JKAS officers into IAS was not carried out for nearly 12 years because of seniority disputes, legal hurdles etc from 2010 to 2022.
The 1999 JKAS batch of officers had to wait for 23 long years for their induction into the IAS.
The Government now proposed to make it a regular feature every year so that the JKAS officers are timely inducted into the IAS like other States and Union Territories and not after 12 years or 4 years as was the case.
With Jammu and Kashmir now part of AGMUT cadre, the officers of All India Services are posted in the States/UTs which are part of the cadre including Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Andaman & Nicobar, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli/Daman & Diu, and Lakshadweep.
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