Facing officers’ shortage in J&K, Ladakh, MHA sends SOS to ministries
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Letter despatched to railways, defence, commerce, customs and excise, posts and telecommunications
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has shot off letters to a number of authorities departments to search the consent of officers keen to be posted to the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The letter despatched to ministries and departments of railways, defence, commerce, customs and excise, posts and telecommunications mentioned that “The new Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh are beset with acute shortage of officers.”
Bifurcation into UTs
The former State of J&K was bifurcated into Union Territories on August 6, 2019.
According to the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019, officers belonging to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFS) in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir “shall continue to function on the existing cadres,” until the Lieutenant Governor of J&K determines the ultimate allocation of such officers between J&K and Ladakh. A 12 months after the reorganisation of J&K, the cadre allocation is but to be accomplished. All new recruits can be allotted the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre.
Now confronted with shortage of officers, the MHA is asking varied authorities departments to depute Group A service officers to the 2 UTs to overcome the shortage.
In an workplace memorandum despatched to the Ministry of Defence on October 26, the MHA mentioned, “it is requested that the willingness of Central Civil Services Officers, selected through Central Civil Exams conducted by the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission), in the (I) Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS), (ii) Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS), (iii) Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES), may please be obtained and provide the name(s) of suitable officer(s), eligible for deputation in terms of existing guidelines and willing to serve in the Governments of UT of J&K/UT of Ladakh, along with the cadre controlling authority’s consent/no objection and vigilance clearance of the officers at the earliest.”
Similar communication was despatched to the Railway Ministry to search the consent of Group A service officers belonging to the Indian Railways Account Service, the Indian Railway Personnel Service, the Indian Railway Traffic Service and the Railway Protection Force for deputation to J&K and Ladakh.
There are round 4 lakh authorities staff in undivided J&K. Of the 58 IAS and 66 IPS officers, 9 and 16 are on Central deputation or suspension respectively. The whole sanctioned power of IAS and IPS officers in J&K is 137 and 147 respectively.
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