Govt sets IPS induction process in motion; MHA to take final call

Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Feb 19: The State Government has finally set the process in motion for filling up 49 vacancies of Indian Police Services (IPS) from the quota of Kashmir Police Services (KPS) as all legal hurdles have been cleared and after drawing up the seniority list, the State would approach the Union Home Ministry for the inductions.
For the last eight years, there have been no inductions into the IPS from KPS cadre that has led to complete stagnation among the State cadre officers. The issue had snowballed into a major controversy a couple of months back leading to clear division among the coalition partners-the PDP and BJP, resulting into setting up of a Cabinet Sub Committee.
Home Secretary RK Goyal told the Excelsior that the seniority list of KPS officers is being finalized. “When this process is completed, we will take up the issue of induction of KPS officers into the IPS,” he added.
Goyal said since there were no legal hurdles in the inductions now, the process has been initiated. The induction process was earlier held up in view of legal hurdles. Once the seniority list is drafted, the Government will go ahead with the IPS inductions.
Official sources said since the last induction of KPS officers into the IPS was held in 2011 and the inducted officers were allotted 2009 batch, 49 vacancies have been created so far for induction of KPS officers into the IPS. Once the entire exercise for the inductions is completed by the State Government after finalization of seniority list, the Government will write to the Union Home Ministry for convening the meeting for inductions.
The Chief Secretary, the Home Secretary and the Director General of Police formed the panel from the State Government side, which had to finalize the inductions into IPS with the Union Home Ministry.
The Union Home Ministry is the final authority for induction of State cadre officers (KPS in Jammu and Kashmir) into the IPS.
Sources said the State Government would project induction of 49 KPS officers into the IPS by filling up all vacancies that were due to the State for the past eight years. However, the response of the Union Home Ministry would be known at the time of high-level meeting only.
“Whether the MHA agrees to give all 49 vacancies to Jammu and Kashmir to be filled up in one year or not is a million dollar question as the vacancies had piled up due to legal hurdles and not due to delay on part of the Central Government,” they said, adding that the State Government, on its part, was committed to get all vacancies filled in one go.
The KPS batch of 1992 was the last to be inducted into IPS from Jammu and Kashmir in the year 2011 and they were allotted 2009 as the year of induction. After 2011, no IPS induction meeting could be held in view of legal hurdles, a result of which the vacancies of Jammu and Kashmir kept piling up while the KPS officers continued to suffer. No batch of KPS officers from 1999 onwards has been inducted into the IPS so far.
In view of delay in induction of KPS officers into the IPS, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who holds charge of the Home Department, has proposed posting of KPS officers into higher posts like DIGs and IGPs in the Cabinet meeting in December but the proposal was opposed by PDP’s coalition partners, the BJP, which wanted that all higher posts beyond SSPs should be given to the IPS officers-both Direct Recruits and State cadre officers inducted into the IPS.
The differences among the coalition partners had led to constitution of a Cabinet Sub Committee for rationalization of State Police Services. The Committee met in December end. It was scheduled to meet about a week back but the meeting was called off in the absence of two members.
The CSC headed by Industry and Commerce Minister Chander Prakash Ganga comprised Health and Medical Education Minister Bali Bhagat, Forest Minister Lal Singh (all BJP), Food, Civil Supplies and Public Distribution Minister Choudhary Zulfkar Ali, Works Minister Naeem Akhter and Finance Minister Dr Haseeb Drabu.

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