All regular posts being filled through PSC, SSB: Wani
Srinagar, Jun 28: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Sunday rejected the opposition’s allegations that permanent government jobs are being filled through outsourcing, asserting that all regular posts are filled exclusively through transparent and merit-based recruitment by the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) and the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB).
Addressing a press conference at SKICC here, Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani said the opposition’s claims were “baseless” and clarified that outsourcing is resorted to only beyond the sanctioned staff strength to meet urgent manpower requirements in sectors such as health, agriculture and sanitation.
He said outsourced engagements cannot be equated with permanent government employment, adding that such manpower is hired through transparent tendering, the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal and other prescribed procurement procedures.
Blaming the previous PDP-BJP government for introducing the outsourcing policy, Wani said the system was implemented during 2015-2018. “We inherited outsourcing just as we inherited the loss of Article 370 and statehood,” he said, adding that the policy stemmed from decisions taken during that period.
Wani said that before 2015, departments had the authority to engage seasonal manpower for specific works, including plantation drives. He also challenged the opposition to produce evidence of even a single backdoor appointment by the present government.
“We have sufficient evidence of backdoor appointments made during the PDP-led government in Jammu and Kashmir Bank and the Khadi and Village Industries Board (KVIB),” he alleged.
Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo reiterated that all permanent government appointments are made through JKPSC and JKSSB, while outsourced workers are neither government employees nor entitled to pension or other service benefits.
She said hospitals independently engage security personnel and sanitation workers as per their operational requirements. According to the minister, outsourcing arrangements are largely linked to centrally sponsored schemes introduced between 2015 and 2018.
Displaying a list of appointments made in Jammu and Kashmir Bank, Itoo alleged that recruitments during the PDP regime were illegal and said the matter was still under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). She questioned the opposition over the lack of transparency and merit in those appointments.
Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Javid Dar said outsourcing is an established administrative practice followed across the country under various Government of India schemes. He said manpower is engaged through transparent competitive procurement under the General Financial Rules (GFR) in sectors such as animal husbandry, livestock health and rural development.
Dar said centrally sponsored schemes involve government-funded infrastructure while agencies are engaged to provide manpower to bridge operational gaps. He added that the present government continues to follow the administrative framework inherited from previous regimes. (Agencies)
