SRINAGAR: In a major Human Resource boost to the rural sector, the Jammu and Kashmir government has appointed 122 Junior Assistants (UT/Divisional/District Cadre) in the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (RDD&PR) department, addressing a critical shortage of clerical staff that had plagued the field offices since 2021.

The appointments, finalized through the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB), followed the referral made by the Rural Development Department to the recruitment agency. The final selection list, issued recently, marks completion of a prolonged process aimed at addressing the staffing gap that had persisted since 2021.

The appointments included a structured distribution across various administrative levels, with 1 post allocated at the UT level, 2 posts each for the divisional cadres of Jammu and Kashmir, 55 posts distributed among districts in the Jammu division and 62 posts assigned to districts in the Kashmir division.

The recruitment drive is aimed to fill the critical clerical and executive staff vacancies at district-level RDD offices and Block Development Offices (BDO) throughout the UT.

Secretary, RDD&PR, Mohammad Aijaz Asad, emphasized that the recruitment is a significant boost for the department and will strengthen the public service delivery mechanism. "The recruitment of Junior Assistants is a long-overdue measure, aimed at reinforcing rural governance and ensuring timely service delivery to the public," he asserted.

Aijaz Asad said that the newly recruited Junior Assistants will play a pivotal role in expediting the file processing in rural offices, improving public grievance redressal systems, strengthening implementation of welfare schemes and providing much needed support to the overburdened Block Development Offices (BDOs), thereby enhancing the overall efficiency of rural governance in Jammu and Kashmir.

Among the 122 posts, 120 have been cleared for immediate appointment, while 2 posts are withheld pending further recommendations. The selected candidates are required to submit their Personal Verification Roll (PVR) within 21 days to secure their appointment.

Last year, the Jammu and Kashmir government appointed 1,395 Panchayat Secretaries across various districts, significantly bolstering the workforce in the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (RDD&PR) department. Prior to that, the government had appointed 1,889 Panchayat Accounts Assistants.