Panel formed to regularize daily-wagers in J&K

The Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, announced the creation of a panel focused on regularizing daily-wage workers in government positions. The panel will be led by the chief secretary and has six months to provide recommendations to the government. Abdullah discussed this issue during a session in the legislative assembly. He emphasized the government's commitment to quickly filling job vacancies in various departments. According to past estimates, around 61,000 daily-wage workers are currently employed in Jammu and Kashmir. The new panel includes several key members, such as the additional chief secretary and secretaries from multiple departments. Their goal is to propose long-term solutions for the daily-wager issue. In response to questions from BJP MLA Satish Sharma about government efforts to resolve this matter, Abdullah highlighted that over 15,000 vacancies have been filled in the last two years. The Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board has completed selections for nearly 9,351 out of 13,466 non-gazetted vacancies. Efforts to streamline hiring continue. Abdullah noted that 10,757 multi-task service positions are currently under review, with plans to refer them to recruitment agencies soon. Additionally, there are 6,000 ready-to-refer vacancies. To expedite this recruitment process, the government has removed interview requirements for positions up to pay level 5. This change aims to make hiring fairer and more efficient, with plans for computer-based written exams and a target-based approach for completing recruitment on time.