25K posts to be filled this year: Omar
JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the government is regularly clearing its financial liabilities, including dues to contractors and retired employees, with over Rs 18,000 crore paid during financial year 2025–26.
Replying to a question of BJP MLA Sham Lal Sharma in the Legislative Assembly, he said “the financial liabilities of the government in the shape of bills presented at treasuries are cleared on regular basis. Bills pertaining to contractors and retired employees are also cleared at regular intervals”.
He said liabilities in the form of bills presented at treasuries are being cleared on a regular basis and at periodic intervals.
A total of Rs 18,382.26 crore have been paid so far by the department of finance, he said.
Abdullah said during 2025–26 financial year ending March 31, payments have been made across multiple heads, including Rs 7,800.58 crore towards contractor bills, Rs 5,821.43 crore under General Provident Fund (GPF), Rs 2,864.14 crore as gratuity, Rs 1,123.22 crore for commutation and Rs 773.47 crore towards leave salary.
He added that most of the bills under these categories have been cleared up to March 27, 2026, while GPF claims have been settled up to December 31, 2025.
Addressing concerns regarding pending liabilities, he said dues are being systematically cleared and there is a structured mechanism in place to ensure timely payments. On the issue of division-wise allocation, the chief minister clarified that funds are allocated and accounted for based on “Heads of Expenditure” rather than on a divisional basis, and payments in treasuries are recorded accordingly.
Meanwhile, CM Abdullah today 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, jal shakti, power development, public works (R&B), rural development & panchayati raj, forest ecology and environment, and youth services and sports.
Govt clears Rs 50L CDF use for victims
JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday informed the Legislative Assembly that MLAs can allocate up to Rs 50 lakh from their Constituency Development Fund (CDF) for housing aid, including reconstruction and repairs for calamity-affected families, in FY26–27.
Responding to a Calling Attention Motion moved by National Conference MLA Shamim Firdous, he said the government has amended the CDF guidelines to expand the scope of assistance.
“As per the revised provisions, MLAs can now allocate up to Rs 50 lakh from their CDF for providing housing assistance, including reconstruction and repair of houses for families affected by calamities, for the FY 2026–27,” Abdullah said.
He said the assistance to an individual family is capped at Rs one lakh, and importantly, the benefit is not restricted to tribal or BPL families but is available to all affected families.
Clarifying the scope of the term “calamity” in the amended guidelines, he said it includes events causing significant damage or harm, including fire incidents.
Referring to district Srinagar, the chief minister said 24 cases were received from Habba Kadal MLA (Firdous) for providing assistance to fire victims under the CDF scheme, involving an estimated cost of Rs 12.80 lakh.
Of these, five cases have been cleared for additional assistance after completing all required formalities, Abdullah said.
He said the remaining 19 cases are under examination with the Srinagar deputy commissioner, and assured that eligible cases recommended by the MLA will be processed as per the norms.
