SRINAGAR: The Jammu & Kashmir Mechanical Engineering Graduates Association (JKMEGA) has urged the Chief Minister to allocate a dedicated budgetary provision for the Assured Career Progression (ACP) scheme in the upcoming budget session and ensure its immediate implementation.
According to Er Firdous Ahad Bhat, President of the Jammu & Kashmir Mechanical Engineering Graduates Association (JKMEGA), the ACP scheme was approved in the 2017-18 budget session and subsequently cleared by the Cabinet. However, despite formal approval, no statutory order (SRO) was issued, leaving engineers in a prolonged state of stagnation.
Engineers play a crucial role in infrastructure development, healthcare, water supply, power, and road connectivity. However, despite their contributions, 76 per cent of engineers in J&K retire at entry-level positions due to a lack of structured career progression. In contrast, other services, including administrative and police services, have well-defined promotional avenues.
The absence of cadre expansion since 1997 has further worsened stagnation, leading to declining morale, inefficiency in service delivery, and a talent drain. The JKMEGA has called the delay in implementing ACP a sign of neglect towards the engineering community, which played a vital role even during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.
JKMEGA has strongly appealed to the government to align J&K’s policies with national standards, where engineers in other states and central departments receive three time-bound promotions within 15 years. The association has urged the Chief Minister to ensure the ACP’s implementation without further delay, emphasising that failure to do so would deepen the crisis within the engineering workforce.
The association remains hopeful that this long-pending reform will be addressed in the current budget session, restoring faith among engineers and empowering them to contribute effectively to J&K’s development.
