SRINAGAR: Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education, Sakeena Itoo on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting to review the recruitment process being undertaken by the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) in various departments, including Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare, Education and Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS).
The meeting was attended by JKSSB Chairman Vikas Kundal, Secretary JKSSB Khurshid Ahmad Sanai, Additional Director SKIMS Zahoor Ahmad Mir, Controller of Examinations JKSSB, Director Finance of the Health and Medical Education Department and representatives of various departments.
During the meeting, the Minister reviewed the progress made in filling vacancies across different categories and departments. Discussions focused on expediting transparent and merit-based recruitment to address manpower shortages in healthcare institutions and allied sectors.
Addressing the officers, Sakeena Itoo stressed the government’s commitment towards ensuring efficiency, accountability and fairness in the recruitment process. She directed authorities to accelerate recruitment, particularly in the Health and Education departments as well as SKIMS, while maintaining coordination between departments and the recruiting agency for timely deployment of selected candidates.
“Human resource, particularly in the Health department, is vital for improving healthcare access and outcomes, especially in underserved and remote areas,” the Minister said.
She emphasized that there should be no complacency in meeting future recruitment targets and reiterated that filling vacant posts remains a top priority of the government to strengthen institutional capacity and improve public service delivery.
Regarding SKIMS, the Minister directed officials to maintain close coordination with JKSSB to ensure that recruitment for pending posts is completed within stipulated timelines. She described SKIMS as a premier healthcare institution and said adequate staffing was essential for uninterrupted public service delivery.
The Minister also asked JKSSB to explore the possibility of reducing application fees for advertised posts. She directed officials to study the fee structure of recruitment agencies in other States and Union Territories in view of growing demands from candidates for a reduction in application charges.
Briefing the meeting, JKSSB Chairman Vikas Kundal said that 5,789 selections have been finalized across various departments during the last 18 months. He termed it a major achievement of the Omar Abdullah-led government in streamlining recruitment and reducing vacancies in key sectors.
He said the selections included technical, paramedical, administrative and support staff posts in the Health and Medical Education Department, besides important posts in the Education and other departments aimed at strengthening grassroots service delivery.
The Chairman further informed that more than 700 Junior Engineer selections were finalized last month, which he described as a significant step towards strengthening vital sectors.
He also assured the Minister that selections for over 150 posts in the Health and Medical Education Department would be finalized within one-and-a-half months.
According to JKSSB, around 12,997 posts are currently under process with the Board, including 6,109 unadvertised posts, 6,170 at the examination stage and 373 at the selection stage.
