New Delhi/June,12 : The central government is planning to send more union territory cadre IAS and IPS officers to Jammu and Kashmir to “strengthen governance”.
Top sources privy to developments in the department of personnel and training (DoPT), some senior officers from the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre could soon be deputed.
The move is especially necessitated since some officers from the J&K cadre have been sent to Ladakh, which was carved into a separate union territory from the J&K state. Earlier this week, for example, the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is the nodal ministry for the AGMUT cadre, ordered the transfer of four senior IAS and IPS officers from J&K to Ladakh. “Some officers in Jammu Kashmir are holding more than one portfolio at the moment, which impacts efficiency,” said a senior official. “That’s why more officers will be sent from the AGMUT cadre to J&K.”
As a union territory with no special status, the 50 per cent quota — which was granted as an exception to J&K — was dropped to 33 per cent, the same as the rest of the country. According to the pan-India rule for local representation in the All India Services, 67 per cent are drawn from state cadres of the All India Services while 33 per cent are promoted from local administrative, police and forest services. The same rule applies to the AGMUT cadre. According to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019, while the existing IAS, IPS and IFS officers of the J&K cadre continue in the same cadre, fresh UPSC recruits will be assigned to the AGMUT cadre. While the Act states that the existing officers of the J&K cadre will not serve in other UTs, it did not preclude AGMUT cadre officers from going to J&K.
