SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Small Industries Corporation Limited (SICOP) has 591 surplus employees following the cessation of its Marketing and Raw Material activities, while the JK SIDCO is facing a shortage of regular manpower, the Industries and Commerce Department has informed the Legislative Assembly.
The disclosure was made in a written reply to starred question No. 1/6/633 tabled by MLA Chander Prakash Ganga.
According to the government, SICOP has a sanctioned strength of 445 employees, of whom 128 are permanent employees, leaving 317 vacancies. The department, however, has identified 591 personnel as surplus following the closure of the corporation’s Marketing and Raw Material activities.
The surplus staff have been engaged on 89-day arrangements, the government said.
In contrast, J&K SIDCO is facing a shortage of regular manpower, particularly because of retirements. To meet its requirements, surplus SICOP employees and personnel from J&K Cements Limited have been deployed in SIDCO against identified vacancies.
The department said skilled manpower is also being engaged through outsourcing wherever required to meet the operational requirements of the corporation.
The government further said 30 surplus employees from other corporations have been deployed or utilised to augment manpower in corporations facing shortages. These deployments have been made against identified manpower requirements.
On encroachment of SIDCO land at Balol, the government said 45 kanals had been retrieved through an anti-encroachment drive, while the department is pursuing the recovery of the remaining encroached land with the district administration.
The matter was taken up with the District Administration through letters dated June 16 and August 29, 2026, the reply said, adding that efforts were under way for early retrieval of the remaining land.
On industrial policy, the department said the revised draft Industrial Policy had already been placed in the public domain to invite suggestions and comments from stakeholders.
The General Administration Department, through Government Order No. 468-JK(GAD) of 2026 dated March 23, 2026, constituted a committee headed by the Administrative Secretary, Finance Department, to examine the feedback received from stakeholders.
The committee has since held several meetings with stakeholders to consider their suggestions and incorporate appropriate inputs into the draft policy.
The revised Industrial Policy is currently at the final stage of consideration and is expected to be notified after completion of the requisite formalities, the government said.
