SRINAGAR : The Jammu and Kashmir cabinet today decided to enhance the retirement age of state government employees from 58 to 60 years, acceding to the long-pending demand of the workers’ unions.
The decision was announced by National Conference and Congress ministers at two separate press conferences here, after the state cabinet acceded to the employees’ demand at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The state government employees’ unions had taken to the street a number of times over the past eight years, demanding enhancement of the retirement age, and a delegation also met the Chief Minister earlier today.
Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather said the cabinet also approved increase in the upper age limit for recruitment in government jobs from 37 to 40 years.
“Candidates belonging to reserved categories will get a further three-year relaxation in the upper age limit,” Rather said, adding that these decisions will take effect from June 1 this year.
Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, accompanied by several Congress ministers, held a separate press conference to announce the cabinet decisions.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met a delegation of employees’ representatives and announced his intention to enhance the retirement age.
“I will strongly advocate for the enhancement of age issue in the cabinet and make sure that it is approved to the best satisfaction of the employees,” Omar told the delegation.
“The Chief Minister this afternoon announced his intention to enhance the retirement age of employees from 58 to 60 years, and the upper age limit for youths to obtain government job from 37 to 40 years,” an official spokesman earlier said.
The spokesman said the Chief Minister had also announced a deadline of one month for finalising the regularisation of ad hoc employees, whose cases are under process in the Finance Department.
The Chief Minister directed Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, who was present in the meeting with delegation of employees’ representatives, along with other senior officials, to take action for withdrawing all cases instituted against agitating employees under the Essential Services (Maintenance) Ordinance.
Omar constituted a committee comprising Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and Secretary of the General Administration Department to study all other demands of the employees, outside the ambit of Finance Department, and submit its recommendations within a month.
“I will personally monitor functioning of this committee and all other issues pertaining to the welfare of employees and talk to representatives of employees myself without any mediators.
“We will be meeting every month to sort out issues and cement the relations between the government and its employees,” Omar said.
Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand said the state government would consider other important issues like upgradation of schools and regularisation of need-based and casual workers in the coming days. (AGENCIES)
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