VIJAYPUR, Sep 24: Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party Provincial President Jammu, Manjit Singh, has expressed serious concern over the large number of vacant government posts across departments in Jammu and Kashmir, saying prolonged vacancies are adversely affecting governance, delivery of public services and the employment prospects of thousands of educated youth during public meeting in Vijaypur.
Reacting to the government data placed before the Legislative Assembly, Singh said that 40,672 posts under the direct recruitment quota remain vacant across various departments, including 3,318 Gazetted, 24,427 Non-Gazetted and 12,927 Multi-Tasking Staff posts.
He said the figures assume greater significance when viewed against the difficulties being faced by people in accessing government services. “When a substantial number of sanctioned posts remain vacant for prolonged periods, the pressure ultimately falls on the employees who are in service and, more importantly, on ordinary citizens who depend on government institutions for essential services,” he said.
Manjit Singh said the situation in the Health and Medical Education Department, which has the highest number of vacancies at 12,797, warrants particular attention. He said shortages in manpower in health institutions can directly affect patient care, while vacancies in departments such as Public Works, Housing and Urban Development, Finance, School Education, Power Development, Revenue and Jal Shakti can have a wider bearing on development and public service delivery.
The Apni Party leader urged the government to adopt a department-wise, time-bound recruitment calendar and ensure that every eligible vacancy is promptly referred to the appropriate recruiting agency. He stressed that recruitment should remain transparent, merit-based and free from unnecessary procedural delays.
“Jammu and Kashmir cannot afford to keep thousands of posts vacant when our educated youth are desperately looking for employment and government departments are simultaneously struggling with manpower shortages. Filling these posts will serve two purposes — strengthen the administrative machinery and provide legitimate employment opportunities to our young people,” Singh said.
He also called for advance identification of vacancies so that posts do not remain unfilled for years because of delays in requisition, recruitment or selection processes. The government has already stated that measures are being taken to streamline recruitment, ensure timely referral of vacancies and monitor timelines.
Singh said recruitment should not be viewed merely as an employment exercise but as an essential component of efficient governance and responsive administration. He appealed to the government to give priority to departments directly connected with people’s day-to-day needs and ensure that vacancies at all levels — from frontline service delivery to technical and administrative positions — are filled expeditiously.
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve an administration that has adequate manpower, functions efficiently and responds to their needs without avoidable delays. At the same time, our youth deserve a fair opportunity to compete for every available government position. The government must therefore move from announcements and assurances to a concrete, time-bound recruitment mechanism,” Manjit Singh said.