SRINAGAR, September 21, 2026 – The Jammu and Kashmir Government has officially disclosed that a staggering 38,872 posts are currently lying vacant across various administrative departments in the Union Territory. This significant revelation comes at a crucial juncture as a high-level committee, explicitly constituted to formulate a robust regularisation policy for thousands of casual, seasonal, and temporary workers, is still actively reviewing the complex matter. The dual administrative challenge of widespread departmental vacancies alongside the unresolved employment status of over one lakh temporary workers remains a pressing priority for the current government. Authorities have repeatedly pledged to comprehensively address both the manpower shortage and the long-pending regularisation demands through a highly structured, legally sound, and transparent approach over the coming months.
To systematically tackle the regularisation issue, the government formed a high-level committee chaired by the Chief Secretary. The specialized panel—which includes the Additional Chief Secretary alongside the Administrative Secretaries of the Finance, General Administration, and Planning departments—has been specifically mandated to examine the humanitarian, legal, and financial dimensions of securing the future of the temporary workforce. The committee is expected to submit a comprehensive implementation framework within a six-month timeframe. Official data reveals that the government’s registered temporary workforce currently comprises 69,696 casual labourers, 8,836 daily-rated workers, 8,534 seasonal labourers, 5,757 food and civil supplies helpers, 2,153 part-time sweepers, and 1,929 personnel engaged through the hospital development fund. For decades, these workers have sustained essential public services across critical sectors like public works, education, agriculture, and municipal operations while awaiting structured job security.
Reaffirming his administration’s commitment to permanently resolving the protracted crisis, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah recently assured that the formal regularisation process for these employees will officially commence in 2026. Emphasizing that such a massive administrative undertaking cannot be executed overnight by merely signing papers, the Chief Minister stressed that the final policy must be financially viable and legally sustainable to ensure it does not face judicial roadblocks or departmental delays. Parallel to these regularisation efforts, Abdullah has confirmed that the government aggressively aims to fill nearly 30,000 of the existing vacant posts during the current year. To uphold strict meritocracy and prevent the legal challenges that have derailed numerous recruitment drives in the past, the upcoming hiring processes will be conducted in a transparent, time-bound manner in close coordination with the Services Selection Board and the Public Service Commission.
Published by True Roots Media Network