Omar assures transparent recruitment; says 25,000 posts to be filled this year

>>> UT subsidy worth Rs 3.80 cr disbursed to 4,288 beneficiaries under PM Surya Ghar Yojana: CM

01/04/2026

Jammu, Mar 31: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said his government is committed to ensuring a transparent recruitment process while avoiding undue haste that could lead to legal complications.
Answering a supplementary to a starred question raised by PDP MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para, Abdullah said 25,000 vacancies are targeted to be filled this year.
"The issue of recruitment has already been discussed in detail during this session. We all want the process to be transparent and time-bound. However, time-bound should not mean rushing matters and ending up in court the next day," he said.
The chief minister said that on several occasions, recruitment lists had been challenged in courts, leading to the entire process being stalled. He said the prolonged legal delays resulted in many aspirants becoming overage and missing out on job opportunities.
"Our effort has been to balance things, follow procedures properly, maintain transparency, and do it as soon as possible," he said, reiterating government's resolve to fill up at least 25,000 vacancies this year.
According to data shared by the General Administration Department, headed by the chief minister, over 28,000 vacancies -- mostly non-gazetted -- exist across various departments in Jammu and Kashmir.
Of these, over 7,000 posts, including 959 gazetted and 6,340 non-gazetted positions, were referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) and the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) for recruitment during 2025.
Nearly half of the vacancies are concentrated in key public service sectors, particularly the Health and Medical Education Department, which accounts for over 10,000 posts. Of these, 2,497 gazetted and 8,088 non-gazetted positions fall under the direct recruitment quota, while 898 gazetted and 3,601 non-gazetted posts are to be filled through the promotion quota.
The data revealed that the School Education Department is also facing a shortage of 594 gazetted and 727 non-gazetted posts under the direct recruitment quota, along with 2,683 gazetted and 3,598 non-gazetted vacancies under the promotion quota.
Other departments with significant staff shortages include finance, industries and commerce, jalshakti, power development, public works (R&B), rural development &panchayati raj, forest ecology and environment, and youth services and sports.
Meanwhilem Omar Abdullah also said Rs 3.80 crore has been disbursed as UT subsidy in favour of 4,288 consumers of Kashmir and Jammu Power Distribution Companies under the PM Surya Ghar - MuftBijliYojana.
Replying to a question raised by BJP legislator Shakti Raj Parihar in the legislative assembly regarding the scheme, Abdullah, who also holds the power portfolio, said Rs 1.80 crore has been disbursed in favour of the first 2,053 consumers of KPDCL, in line with the central financial assistance (CFA).
Similarly, Rs 2 crore has been disbursed in favour of 2,235 beneficiaries of JPDCL under the scheme, he said.
He informed the House that under the scheme, the subsidy component is primarily borne by the central government through the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, with an additional subsidy component provided by the Union Territory. The CFA is provided to residential consumers installing rooftop solar systems at Rs 33,000 per kW for the first two kW of installed capacity and Rs 19,800 per kW for the next one kW, taking the total maximum subsidy to Rs 85,800 for systems up to three kW, the chief minister said.
In addition, he said, the UT provides a subsidy of Rs 3,000 per kW, Rs 6,000 for two kW and up to Rs 9,000 for three kW (capped at 3 kW), taking the total subsidy up to Rs 94,800 for a three kW system, he added.
The chief minister said delays, wherever applicable, in the release of the UT's share are primarily due to the verification of beneficiary installations, scrutiny of supporting documents, and integration of subsidy disbursement through the national portal.
He said the J&K administration is taking necessary steps to streamline the process and assured that the pending UT subsidy share will be released to eligible beneficiaries upon completion of verification formalities.

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