SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has told the Legislative Assembly that no framework is currently in place to consider regularisation of Daily Rated Workers (DRWs) and Work Charged Employees following the reorganisation of J&K in 2019, even as it undertakes a fresh examination of the issue.
The Government said a committee constituted through Government Order No. 384-JK(GAD) of 2025 is examining the humanitarian, legal and financial aspects of engagements and regularisation, with the objective of developing a uniform framework applicable across departments.
The disclosure came in response to Starred Q.D. No. 1/6/15 by MLA Ranbir Singh Pathania, who sought details of appointments and engagements made in Government departments, public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies, boards and authorities outside the prescribed open competitive recruitment process.
The Government said appointments and engagements in these establishments are governed by their respective statutory provisions, recruitment rules, regulations and Government orders. It said a comprehensive exercise had been undertaken to ensure that appointments in Government departments and entities substantially owned or controlled by the Government conform to the prescribed recruitment framework.
Under S.O. 506 of 2024, recruitment to all non-gazetted posts in public sector undertakings, companies, boards and corporations substantially owned or controlled by the Government is to be conducted through the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board, providing a common recruitment mechanism for such posts.
A proposal to extend a similar institutionalised recruitment system to gazetted posts in such entities is currently under consideration.
On the regularisation of workers engaged over the years, the Government said departments had engaged Helpers, Daily Rated Workers, Work Charged Employees, casual and seasonal labourers and other categories according to operational requirements and the rules and instructions applicable at the time.
The Government said the regulatory framework had changed over the years. SRO-64 of 1994 introduced the Jammu and Kashmir Daily Rated Workers/Work Charged Employees (Regularisation) Rules, 1994, under which eligible workers could be regularised subject to prescribed conditions. The rules also regulated further engagement of such workers and permitted certain categories of casual and seasonal labour in specified circumstances.
SRO-520 of 2017 subsequently notified the Jammu and Kashmir Casual and Other Workers-Regular Engagement Rules, 2017, providing for regular engagement of eligible casual, seasonal and other workers, including Daily Rated Workers, subject to stipulated conditions.
An Empowered Committee was also constituted through Government Order No. 139-F of 2015 dated 19 August 2015 to examine proposals concerning formal creation of posts for regularisation of eligible leftover Daily Rated Workers under the applicable framework.
However, the Government said that after the 2019 reorganisation of J&K, there is presently no framework for considering regularisation of such workers.
It said Government Order No. 384-JK(GAD) of 2025, dated March 19, 2025, established a committee to examine the matter and formulate a framework that is legally sound, financially sustainable and administratively workable across departments.
The Government said a decision would be taken after the committee completes its examination and the requisite inputs are received from the concerned departments and authorities.
The Assembly was also informed that the Government has established the JK-HRMS as an integrated platform for maintaining and verifying employees’ service records.
Under Circular No. 35-JK(GAD) of 2022 dated October 12, 2022, service information including initial appointment and joining, qualifications, postings and promotions is to be integrated from CPIS into JK-HRMS. Drawing and Disbursing Officers have been made responsible for ensuring that the information is updated and verified against service records.
Circular No. 09-JK(GAD) of 2024, dated April 20, 2024, further provides for uploading relevant appointment records in the HRMS framework.
The Government said the system therefore provides for record-based verification and maintenance of appointment-related particulars. It also said recruitment agencies require candidates called for document verification to produce original certificates and copies of their application and document sets in accordance with the relevant advertisement notification.
Qualifications, domicile and category certificates and other prescribed documents are verified by the Document Verification Committee before final selection or recommendation.
According to the Government, the recruitment advertisement serves as the reference framework for determining the documents and eligibility conditions to be checked during document verification, while JK-HRMS maintains the verified appointment and service details after recruitment.
It added that academic and category certificates are verified through the concerned departments or agencies once appointments are made.
