Over 77,000 posts vacant across 38 departments
Bivek Mathur
JAMMU, Feb 11: The Jammu and Kashmir Government today informed the Legislative Assembly that there is “no proposal” pending with the Union Territory seeking the return of power projects from the Central Government, and that the matter pertains to the Government of India. The House was also told that over 77,000 posts are lying vacant across 38 Government departments in J&K.
In a written reply to a question by Congress MLA from Wagoora-Kreeri Assembly segment, Irfan Hafiz Lone during the ongoing budget session, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is also the Minister Incharge for the Power Development Department (PDD), said the UT Government does not possess any information regarding any proposal for the return of power projects.
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“No such proposal is lying with the UT of J&K. The matter pertains to the Government of India, and as of now, no such information is available with the Government of J&K,” he said.
As per the shared data, the NHPC-controlled projects operating in the region account for a total installed capacity of 2,250 MW, while the projects owned by the UT have a total capacity of approximately 1,197.4 MW and the projects owned by the private entities have a joint capacity of 92.75 MW.
Meanwhile, in a separate written reply to another question of the Congress MLA, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also happens to be the Minister Incharge General Administration Department, informed the House that 77,099 posts are lying vacant across 38 Government departments. Of these, 40,666 posts are under the direct quota and 36,433 under the promotion quota.
The Chief Minister, however, clarified that the 40,666 direct quota vacancies include posts already referred to recruiting agencies and those already advertised for selection.
He further gave a category-wise break-up. Under the direct quota, 3,808 gazetted, 24,507 non-gazetted and 12,351 MTS posts are vacant, while as under the promotion quota, 6,409 gazetted, 24,451 non-gazetted and 5,573 MTS posts are vacant.
Among departments, the Health and Medical Education Department has the highest 17,823 vacancies, including 2,497 gazetted, 8,088 non-gazetted and 2,712 MTS posts under the direct quota, and 898 gazetted, 3,601 non-gazetted and 27 MTS posts under the promotion quota.
The Agriculture Production Department (ASH & Horticulture) has 9,959 vacancies, including 50 gazetted, 2,064 non-gazetted and 2,961 MTS under direct quota, and 437 gazetted, 3,699 non-gazetted and 748 MTS under promotion quota.
The School Education Department has 9,407 vacancies, including 594 gazetted, 727 non-gazetted and 43 MTS under direct quota, and 2,683 gazetted, 3,598 non-gazetted and 1,762 MTS under promotion quota.
Similarly, the Power Development Department has 6,411 vacancies, including 54 gazetted, 1,637 non-gazetted and 141 MTS under direct quota, and 148 gazetted, 1,790 non-gazetted and 2,641 MTS under promotion quota. The Civil Aviation Department has the least 15 vacant posts.
The Chief Minister said the Government has taken a series of measures to ensure that vacant posts are filled in a time-bound manner.
These include timely identification and referral of vacancies to recruiting agencies, adherence to the prescribed statutory framework, advance planning of recruitment cycles and close monitoring of timelines at various stages.
He said efforts have also been made to streamline procedures, strengthen coordination with recruiting agencies and leverage technology to expedite the recruitment process while ensuring transparency, fairness and merit.
He added that recruiting agencies have also issued their examination calendars for 2026, which are being strictly followed.
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