Jobs up to lowest level of non-gazetted rank reserved for those residing in J&K for 15 years

Children of central government employees serving for 10-year period in UT also entitled for benefit

Umer Maqbool

Srinagar, April 01 Nearly seven months after BJP-led Central government abrogated J&K’s special position and downgraded it into two Union Territories, the Government of India has notified a law under which jobs up to the lowest level of non-gazetted rank have been reserved for J&K domiciles.

According to wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Under the new law, jobs up to the lowest level of non-gazetted rank have been exclusively reserved for those who have resided for a period of 15 years in J&K and children of all central government employees who have served for 10-year period in the UT.

“Subject to the provisions of this Act, no person shall be eligible for appointment to a post carrying a pay scale of not more than Level-4 (25500) unless he is a domicile of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” reads section 5A of The Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralization and Recruitment) Act.

The level 4 includes posts like Junior Assistant, Constable, which is considered as  the lowest category of non-gazetted posts. This means domiciles of J&K UT would have exclusive right on class-4th and non-gazetted posts to be advertised by the Services

Selection Board from now on wards. All Indian citizens including J&K domiciles would be eligible for remaining non-gazetted and gazetted posts. Before August 5, all jobs in erstwhile state of J&K were exclusively reserved for permanent residents of the State.

Under the law, the domiciles have been defined as those who have resided for a period of 15 years in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir or have studied for a period of seven years and appeared in Class 10th /12th examination in an educational institutions located in J&K.

The domiciles also includes children of those central government officials, All India services officers, officials of public sector undertaking and autonomous body of central government, public sector banks, officials of statutory bodies, officials of central universities and recognized research institutes of central government who have served in Jammu and Kashmir for a total period of ten years.

The law has empowered Tehsildars within their territorial jurisdiction to issue domicile certificates The government of J&K UT has also been empowered to notify any other officer to be Competent Authority for issuance of domicile certificate