JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has made 1,379 selections in the Government sector through the J&K Public Service Commission (JKPSC) and the J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB) since November 2024.
However, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is also the Minister Incharge of the General Administration Department, was provided with an inaccurate figure of 1,332 by the Departmental staff in response to an unstarred question of the BJP legislator from Doda West Assembly segment, Shakti Raj Parihar, regarding the total recruitments made by the two agencies.
As per the official breakup placed before the House, 571 selections were made by the Public Service Commission and 808 by the Services Selection Board, taking the total to 1,379.
Under the J&K Public Service Commission, highest, 161, selections were made in the Animal/Sheep Husbandry Department, followed by 123 selections in the Higher Education Department, 90 in Planning, Development and Monitoring Department, and 74 in the General Administration Department.
As far as other departments are concerned, 37 selections were made in the Agriculture Production Department, 28 in the Health and Medical Education Department, 22 in Forest, Ecology and Environment Department, 10 in Skill Development Department, 8 in Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Department, 7 each in Mining and School Education Departments, 3 in Floriculture, Parks and Gardens and one in Transport Department.
Similarly, the J&K Services Selection Board made the highest, 186, selections in the Social Welfare Department followed by 142 in Revenue, 136 in Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, 62 in Forest, Ecology and Environment, 58 in Health and Medical Education, 38 in Animal/Sheep Husbandry, 37 in DM RRR, 34 in Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, 33 in Agriculture Production, 28 in General Administration, 21 in Horticulture, 13 in Home, 9 in Tourism, 5 in Science and Technology, 3 in Transport, 2 in Civil Aviation, and one in the Information Department.
The Chief Minister said that the Government is committed to expanding employment opportunities for youth through a combination of public sector recruitment, promotion of self-employment and skill development initiatives.
He said employment generation is a continuous and multi-dimensional process pursued in accordance with the prevailing policy framework, administrative requirements and availability of resources.
He further said that various initiatives are being undertaken to promote self-employment and entrepreneurship by facilitating start-ups, providing access to credit, extending handholding support and encouraging local enterprise and innovation.
Focus is also being laid on skilling and upskilling youth in market-relevant trades and emerging sectors to enhance their employability in both public and private sectors, he said.
The Government, he added, is also actively engaging with the private sector to create more job opportunities by improving ease of doing business, attracting investment and fostering a supportive ecosystem for industry and services.
“These coordinated efforts are aimed at creating sustainable livelihood opportunities and broadening the employment base for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. (DE)
