30000 vacancies to be filled in 2026: Omar
‘No power tariff hike since Dec 2023’
JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called for political maturity on Friday, urging lawmakers to “desist from doing politics on everything”, after a government order regarding “Zakat” (alms) collection was painted as interference in religious matters.
Immediately after the Question Hour ended in the Assembly, Abdullah raised a point of order as he wanted to respond to concerns voiced by Congress MLAs Nizamuddin Bhat and Ghulam Ahmed Mir on Thursday. The two Congress legislators, along with other MLAs, had criticised a recent administrative order in Kishtwar, regulating donations.
Addressing the floor, Abdullah said he personally investigated the matter to determine if the State was overstepping and clarified that the deputy commissioner (DC) of Kishtwar did not act on a whim or a political order, but on a direct plea of Muslim community leaders in the district.
During pre-Ramzan preparatory meetings, local Muslim religious leaders had expressed deep concern over the rise of “fake NGOs” that exploit the holy month to defraud donors.
“Money is collected in the name of patients who may not even exist,” Abdullah said, adding, “The religious leaders requested the DC to issue this order because legitimate NGOs were being harmed by these fraudulent actors.”
Far from being seen as “interference”, the chief minister noted that the order has received a formal backing from the imam of Kishtwar’s Jama Masjid, local maulvis and prominent religious organisations in the region.
Abdullah took aim at the knee-jerk political reactions, saying not every administrative decision should be viewed through a political lens and that such decisions are often taken in consultation with people.
“I would like to request the members and others that we should not do politics on everything,” he said, adding, “We should go into details. Sometimes these decisions are not taken on a political basis, they are taken after consulting people. We should not put these things in politics.”
The chief minister’s remarks were acknowledged by the members of the treasury as well as opposition benches.
Kishtwar district authorities issued an order on Wednesday, regulating the collection of donations during the holy month, citing concerns over unauthorised fundraising.
In the order, Kishtwar DC Pankaj Kumar Sharma said it is the administration’s statutory obligation to ensure that public contributions intended for relief, welfare or religious purposes are not misappropriated, laundered or diverted for extraneous or subversive activities.
“There has been a tendency of unauthorised collection of donations by certain individuals and organisations during Ramzan, necessitating immediate regulatory intervention,” Sharma said.
Criticising the DC’s order, Mir and Bhat demanded on Thursday that it should immediately be revoked.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) MLA Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi had termed the order an “overreach by the administration”.
However, Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma had welcomed the order, saying “it was a big deal that even the head of the Muslim community there welcomed it. Unfortunately, some local leaders were questioning it”.
“The Muslim community also believes that law and order should be maintained properly where these things are happening,” the BJP MLA had said.
Meanwhile, Omar Abdullah today reiterated that his government is committed to filling vacancies in a time-bound manner, announcing that over 30,000 vacancies will be filled in 2026.
The chief minister made these remarks while replying to a question raised by member Prof Gharu Ram Bhagat during the Question Hour of the ongoing Budget session of the legislative Assembly.
Informing the House, the chief minister stated that vacancies arise from time to time in various government departments, including field-level posts, due to retirements, promotions, resignations and other administrative reasons.
“There are institutional mechanisms in place for periodic assessment of vacancies and timely referral to the concerned recruiting agencies in accordance with the statutory provisions,” he said.
He further noted that to ensure essential services and field-level functions are not adversely affected, adequate staff strength is maintained across departments. “Wherever necessary, interim administrative arrangements are adopted in accordance with established rules”, he said.
The government, he said, has taken several measures to expedite the filling up of vacancies.
“These include advance identification and consolidation of vacancies, time-bound referral of requisitions to recruiting agencies, streamlining of procedural requirements, regular monitoring at the administrative level, and ensuring efficiency and transparency in the recruitment process.”
Additionally, CM Abdullah also said that there has been no hike in the power tariff in the Union Territory since December 2023.
Replying to a question raised by NC MLA Bashir Ahmed Veeri in the assembly, the chief minister said electricity billing in metered areas is being carried out strictly based on actual consumption recorded, leaving no scope for arbitrariness.
In non-metered areas, he said, bills are raised on a flat-rate basis in accordance with the agreed load ap per existing norms.
The power tariff determination and any rationalisation, if required, falls within the jurisdiction of the Jammu and Kashmir Electricity Regulatory Commission (JKERC), Abdullah said.
He clarified that during the determination of tariffs, the regulatory authority follows prescribed procedures, parameters and rationale laid down under the law.
The transmission losses are not realised by the consumers, he added.
