‘Of 4.8 lakh Govt employees, 1.08 lakh belong to reserved categories’

Jammu and Kashmir’s reserved categories constitute over one lakh workforce of the total 4.8 lakh Government employees in the State, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti told the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.
The highest number of the employees, 46270, is from Reserved Backward Areas (RBA) followed by Schedule Tribe (34721), Schedule Caste (17350), OSC (4702) and Actual Line of Control (5369).
At total of 108412 employees up to the level of Deputy Secretary from reserved categories are working in 41 State Departments, commissions and other Government institutions in Jammu and Kashmir, said the Chief Minister’s response.
The ongoing session of the State Assembly has repeatedly witnessed protests by members from treasury and opposition benches seeking the Government should restore reservation in promotion in Government jobs.
The law for reservation in promotion was introduced in 2004 during the then PDP-led Government. However it was challenged by the candidates from the open category in the High Court. The case is now undergoing trial in the Supreme Court.
As per the information provided by the Chief Minister the highest number of the employees from all reserved categories is in Education Department (42993) followed by Home Department (17831) and Ladakh Affairs (11904).
Jammu and Kashmir State Commission for Women is the only Government institution having zero number of employees from any reserved category while as Relief and Rehabilitation Department has seven employees from reserved categories, three employees from ST and four employees from SC.
The total number of employees working in 27 Government Departments is 484901 with Education Department having the highest number of work force 149554 persons followed by Home Department (88707 employees), Health and Medical Education Department (45664 employees) PHE Department (33340 employees), Power Department (21749 employees and Agriculture Production (19535 employees), Forest Department (17962 employees), Public Works Department (14058 employees), Revenue Department (13106 employees), Ladakh Affairs (12749 employees) and Animal/ Sheep Husbandry (11390 employees). The employees strength of other Departments ranges from 3000 to 9000 persons.
In response to another question the Government said 23,000 posts were lying vacant in different departments including 1278 gazetted and 3352 non-gazetted posts.
The vacant positions also include 9594 class-IV posts in different Government Departments and 5416 non-gazetted positions and 12 class-IV posts in the Police department.
To a separate question, the Government said J&K has over one lakh unemployed educated youth.
The issue of the exact number of jobless educated youth recently led to heated arguments between the opposition and treasury bench members in the House with the former claiming that State had around six lakh jobless educated youth.
Following the protests by the opposition the government had assured the members it would undertake a fresh survey to get the exact number of educated unemployed youth in J&K.