Bilal Handoo

SRINAGAR

Civil-Secretriat-Srinagar
Civil Secretariat, Srinagar.

J&K is gradually shedding its exclusivity. After police, now the civil services will lose the 50:50 composition in the civil administration thus bringing J&K at par with other Indian states.

Highly placed sources told Kashmir Life that the union government is issuing an order in this regard within days.

Previously, the union government had extended the promotion quota of Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officers for J&K on 50:50 basis till December 2015. After the due date, Ministry of Personnel is now issuing an order to J&K government bringing its administration set up at par with other state of India.

Interestingly, the sources said, it was a top state official who had taken the matter to Delhi, demanding scrapping 50:50 promotional quota.

But the PM Narendra Modi-led NDA government had conveyed him that the Mufti was the right man to take final call whether to go ahead with 50:50 basis promotion quota or shift to 67:33 at par with other states, sources said.

“The official while raising the matter with Delhi packaged it as the step towards ending the shortage of IAS officers in J&K,” a top KAS officer told Kashmir Life. “But the fact is, the move is the part of larger game plan.” It allegedly included some local IAS officers as well.

Barring J&K, all other states of India has fixed quota of 67:33 for IAS officers — that’s they get 67 percent IAS officers from the Government of India after their selection through the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) while 33 per cent from promotion of State cadre officers.

J&K, however, has its own rule under which it get 50 percent of IAS officers from India and promote rest of 50 percent from within the State cadre.

Before the promotion order ended in December 2015, it is said that Mufti government had adopted “wait and watch” stance over the move. But after the promotion quota date expired, the union ministry took a call on it.

Notably, till mid-1960s, J&K had its own administrative machinery. No outside IAS or IPS officer could work in the state. But it all changed during GM Sadiq’s government in mid-sixties when the union administrative services were extended to J&K protected with special status. Since then there had been rivalries between local officers and IAS\IPS cadre allotted by Delhi.

While keeping the special status of the state in view, the successive government had kept it 50:50, the status quo which BJP government is now scrapping by bringing J&K’s official machinery at par with other states. Many KAS officers term it an attempt to erode special status of the state besides a step towards J&K’s integration with mainland India.

This seems to be the natural follow up to the KPS related decision that was reportedly conveyed to the state government last week.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here