UPSC to take final call shortly
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 2: Ahead of Diwali festival, there has been a good news for Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services (JKAS) officers as the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) have approved 41 posts for their induction into the Indian Administrative Services (IAS).
With the approval of 41 posts by the MHA and DoPT following a high-level meeting with Jammu and Kashmir officers, the matter will shortly go to the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) for final approval.
The General Administration Department (GAD) is conducting entire exercise for induction of JKAS officers into IAS which has been initiated by the present Government in Jammu and Kashmir after nearly a decade.
Official sources told the Excelsior that it might take a couple of months as the UPSC has to complete the formalities before convening a meeting with representatives of the Jammu and Kashmir Government for formal induction of JKAS officers into IAS.
The GAD had initiated the exercise for induction of JKAS officers into IAS after nearly a decade following fixation of seniority of the officers and clearance of all legal hurdles. The exercise hasn’t been undertaken for the last about a decade in Jammu and Kashmir which involved tenure of three previous. Governments. However, it was under the Lieutenant Governor’s rule that the exercise was initiated by the GAD and almost taken to logical conclusion.
According to sources, the JKAS officers to be inducted into IAS will get AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram Union Territories) cadre as the Union Home Ministry has already merged erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir cadre into AGMUT as J&K was made a Union Territory on August 5, 2019.
The Jammu and Kashmir Government had identified vacancies of previous years since last inductions of JKAS officers into IAS took place and the MHA has finally cleared 41 vacancies, sources said.
The years of allotment of IAS to the JKAS officers will be allotted by the MHA once the inductions are finally cleared by the UPSC.
“Tentative vacancies worked out by the Government revealed that JKAS officers to be inducted into the IAS will be allotted different years of induction,” sources said, adding that 1999 batch of JKAS is set to be the major beneficiary of inductions. However, at the same time, decks will be cleared for inductions of 2000 and 2001 batch of JKAS officers.
The 1999 JKAS batch of officers had to wait for 22 long years for their induction into the IAS, sources asserted and noted that in the process of wait some of the officers even completed their services and got retired. However, they added, the retirees will also be considered for induction into the IAS as they will get service benefits from the year they are inducted into the All India Services (AIS).
Once the process of inductions of previous years is completed by the UPSC, the Government 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 nearly a decade as is the case presently in Jammu and Kashmir.
Besides benefiting the JKAS officers, their induction into IAS will also help the Jammu and Kashmir Government to overcome shortage of IAS officers in the Union Territory. It may be mentioned here that the Union Ministry of Homes Affairs has deployed several officers of All India Services on two to three years deputation in the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh due to shortage of the AIS officers.
“The shortage will definitely be overcome with the proposed induction of JKAS officers into IAS,” sources said.
Worthwhile to mention here that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had merged Jammu and Kashmir cadre of All India Services into AGMUT on January 8 this year.
It was on July 30 this year that the MHA had approved induction of 27 JKPS officers into IPS including 13 serving and 14 retired. These inductions too had taken place after more than a decade.
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