The Jammu and Kashmir Government has disclosed that 77,099 posts are vacant across various departments in the Union Territory, covering both direct recruitment and promotion quota positions. The highest number of vacancies has been reported in key sectors such as Health, School Education, Public Works, and Power Development.
The information was shared in response to an unstarred question in the Legislative Assembly by MLA Kreeri Wagoora, Advocate Irfan Hafiz Lone, who sought department-wise details of vacant posts and steps being taken to fill them in a time-bound manner.
In its written reply, the Government clarified that vacancies under the direct quota category also include posts already referred to recruiting agencies and those advertised for selection. It assured that all referred and advertised posts would be filled within stipulated timelines.
As per the data, 38,087 gazetted, 24,507 non-gazetted, and 12,351 MTS posts are vacant under the direct recruitment quota across departments. Under the promotion quota, 6,409 gazetted, 24,451 non-gazetted, and 5,573 MTS posts remain unfilled.
Among major departments, the Health and Medical Education Department has the highest number of vacancies, including 2,497 gazetted, 8,088 non-gazetted, and 2,712 MTS posts under the direct quota. Additionally, 898 gazetted, 3,601 non-gazetted, and 27 MTS posts are vacant under the promotion quota in the same department.
The School Education Department also faces significant shortages, with 594 gazetted, 727 non-gazetted, and 43 MTS vacancies under direct recruitment, along with 2,683 gazetted, 3,598 non-gazetted, and 1,762 MTS posts under the promotion quota.
In the infrastructure sector, the Public Works (R&B) Department has 770 non-gazetted and 2,841 MTS vacancies under direct quota, besides 225 gazetted and 360 non-gazetted posts under promotion quota.
The Power Development Department shows 54 gazetted, 1,637 non-gazetted, and 141 MTS vacancies under direct recruitment, along with 148 gazetted, 1,790 non-gazetted, and 2,641 MTS posts under the promotion quota.
Similarly, the Agriculture Production Department, including Animal and Sheep Husbandry and Horticulture, has over 2,000 non-gazetted and nearly 3,000 MTS direct quota vacancies, apart from several promotion quota posts.
Other departments with vacancies include Finance, Forest Ecology and Environment, Industries and Commerce, Jal Shakti, Revenue and Rural Development, Youth Services and Sports, and Planning, Development and Monitoring.
Addressing concerns over delays in recruitment, the Government said it has initiated several measures to ensure that vacant posts are filled expeditiously. These include timely identification and referral of vacancies to recruiting agencies, adherence to statutory recruitment procedures, advance planning of recruitment cycles, and close monitoring of timelines.
The reply added that procedures have been streamlined and coordination with recruiting agencies strengthened to speed up the process while maintaining transparency, fairness, and merit. Technology is also being leveraged to fast-track various stages of recruitment.
Importantly, recruiting agencies have issued their examination calendars for 2026, which the Government said are being strictly followed to ensure adherence to timelines. (Agencies)
