JAMMU, Dec 4: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah convened a high-level meeting at the Civil Secretariat to assess the operations of the General Administration Department (GAD). During the discussion, he addressed important topics, including the functionality of the J&K Public Service Commission, promotions at the J&K Service Selection Board, cadre management, training initiatives, transfers, and various administrative issues.
Highlighting the stagnation faced by JKAS officers, he urged the department to come up with practical solutions, stating, “Everyone deserves the opportunity to grow.” To promote effective governance, he instructed a complete ban on re-employment, extensions, additional responsibilities, and attachments, except in exceptional cases. He stressed the need to review attachments within the Health & Medical Education and Education Departments, saying, “We must put an end to this practice.”
The Chief Minister also sought an update regarding the performance of employees appointed under the PM Package for Kashmiri Migrants. Earlier, Sanjeev Verma, the Commissioner Secretary GAD, provided a comprehensive overview of the department’s activities, touching on areas such as administration, cabinet coordination, personnel management, cadre management, and transfer policies.
The discussions included topics on compassionate appointments under SRO-43, the J&K Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme-2022, and service-related issues for All India Services and J&K Administrative Services. Additionally, the meeting reviewed IT initiatives like SPARROW, JKHRMS, and officer training programs. The Chief Minister instructed the department to reassess the reallocation of posts following the reorganization of Jammu and Kashmir and the establishment of the Ladakh Union Territory, pointing out inconsistencies in vacancy distributions.
“The allocation of posts post-reorganization needs to be reviewed. We must address disparities and ensure that Jammu and Kashmir is equipped with sufficient posts to meet administrative needs,” he emphasized. The meeting included the Advisor to the CM, Nasir Aslam Wani; Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo; Additional Chief Secretary to the CM, Dheeraj Gupta; Commissioner Secretary GAD; and other top officials. In a separate meeting, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah evaluated the launch of Raabta – CM’s Public Services and Outreach Office, designed to facilitate better government-citizen interaction.
He stated that Raabta would enhance grievance redressal systems, serving as a link between the government and the public, thus ensuring prompt delivery of services and boosting public involvement in governance. Secretary Grievances, Aijaz Asad, outlined the framework for Raabta, emphasizing its purpose in fostering public participation, creating a responsive government, and ensuring timely service delivery. Citizens will have the option to submit grievances and suggestions through both online and offline methods.
The meeting also discussed the structure of the outreach office, focusing on staffing, deployment of senior officials, and the technical and administrative personnel needed for efficient operations. Additionally, integrating JK Samadhan, an existing grievance redressal platform, with Raabta was deliberated. The Chief Minister urged officials to merge Raabta with JK Samadhan to form a more cohesive grievance redressal system, saying, “By combining Raabta with JK Samadhan, we are establishing a unified grievance system that will facilitate quicker resolutions and streamline how we address citizens’ concerns.” BISAG’s Additional Director General confirmed that the integration process is underway and will soon be operational, benefiting the public.
The meeting was attended by the Advisor to the CM, Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretary to the CM, Principal Secretary IT, and other senior officials.
