Minimum 15 yrs stay to be mandatory for availing opportunities
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 31: Determined to set at rest the controversy pertaining to domicile issue, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs will shortly issue notification to protect the employment and land ownership rights of people of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh.
The controversy over domicile issue started after the issuance of advertisement notices inviting applications on pan-India basis particularly by the Common High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, which was exclusively highlighted by EXCELSIOR in its edition dated December 30, 2019.
The move was widely condemned by different political parties and other organizations in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, who said that opening of jobs to outsiders is unacceptable as the same will put career of local unemployed youth in jeopardy.
Taking cognisance of the reports of EXCELSIOR, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr Jitendra Singh, who is also Member of Parliament from Udhampur-Doda Parliamentary Constituency, called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah this morning and thoroughly discussed the domicile issue. The meeting was also attended by Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla.
According to the sources, it was revealed in the meeting that Ministry of Home Affairs was already in the process of issuance of formal notification to protect the employment and land rights of the people of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh but because of pre-occupation of the Home Minister Amit Shah in handling the issues relating to Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) the same could not be issued.
“The ongoing controversy will be settled with the issuance of notification on domicile issue by the Ministry of Home Affairs shortly”, Dr Jitendra Singh told EXCELSIOR while disclosing that a detailed discussion in this regard was going on in the MHA during the past over three months.
In response to a question, he said, “I have even spoken to the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Girish Chandra Murmu and conveyed to him that notices inviting applications for filling up of vacant posts in the Government departments should be issued only after the issuance of notification on the domicile issue by the Ministry of Home Affairs”.
According to the sources, a consensus has almost been reached in the Ministry of Home Affairs over fixing minimum 15 years active stay in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh for any citizen not belonging to erstwhile State to obtain benefits of employment and for purchase of land as reported exclusively by the Excelsior in its edition dated November 23.
“This 15 years period will be reckoned from the issuance of formal notification regarding domicile by the Ministry of Home Affairs”, sources further said.
They further disclosed that All India Service (IAS/IPS/IFS) officers, who belong to different States but are on the J&K Cadre, will also become eligible for purchase of land while as their children will become entitled to apply for Government jobs as per the consensus that has also been reached during the discussions held in the Ministry of Home Affairs since special Constitutional provisions of the erstwhile State were scrapped and it was bifucated into two UTs of J&K and Ladakh.
“This is because of services the All India Service officers have rendered in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir ever since allotment of J&K cadre to them”, sources said.
It is pertinent to mention here that the concern of All India Service officers generally remain that even after devoting maximum part of their life for the welfare and development of Jammu and Kashmir they don’t have right to purchase land and settle here.
Pointing towards practice prevalent in some States of the country, sources said, “a possibility is also being explored to ensure that children from any part of the country who completes 9th or 12th class from Jammu and Kashmir under any circumstances will become eligible for taking admissions in the higher institutions of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh”.
However, no consensus has reached on this aspect till date in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
HC withdraws Advt Notice
J&K High Court today withdrew the Advertisement Notice for filling up of vacant posts of various categories.
“It is notified for the information of all the concerned that the Advertisement Notice No.9/2019 dated December 26, 2019 whereby applications were invited for different posts in non-gazetted category in the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir stands withdrawn with immediate effect”, read the notification issued by Registrar General, Sanjay Dhar.
Vide this Advertisement Notice High Court had invited applications even from those persons who don’t belong to Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh.
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