Jammu: 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.
Abdullah also informed that as many as 48,958 non-gazetted and 10,217 gazetted posts — across both direct recruitment and promotion quotas — are lying vacant in 38 government departments.
The chief minister was replying to a question raised by PDP MLA (Pulwama) Waheed ur Rehman Para during the Question Hour of the ongoing Budget Session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
Abdullah stated that under the direct recruitment quota, 24,507 non-gazetted and 3,808 gazetted posts are vacant, while under the promotion quota, 24,451 non-gazetted and 6,409 gazetted posts remain unfilled across these departments, an official press release informed.
It said the chief minister further informed that, at the district level, a total of 16,812 non-gazetted and 2,798 gazetted posts are vacant across all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
He added that during the previous year (2025), 959 gazetted vacancies were referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission, while 6,340 non-gazetted posts were referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board for recruitment.
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 the 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.
