New Delhi [India], September 9 (ANI): Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday informed that Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) deputation rules have been relaxed to encourage IAS and other All India Service Officers as well as the ones of Central Services to get posted in Jammu and Kashmir.

Due to this relaxation, Singh said, 22 officers belonging to various services and different cadres have been posted in Jammu and Kashmir at various levels at a crucial time. Singh was briefing the media about several steps taken to address the shortage of officers in the newly created Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

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The Minister said DoPT has played a major role in facilitating the induction of Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services Officers into IAS by coordinating with UT of J-K, Ministry of Home Affairs and Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

"As a result, recently 16 officers from Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) have been inducted into IAS and another eight such vacancies will be filled up shortly giving opportunities to the JKAS officers to become part of the prestigious IAS service after a long gap of 12 years," Singh said.

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The Minister also added that mid-career training of JKAS officers of various seniority was carried out in collaboration with Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) and this has provided a new level of exposure to the JKAS Officers and more than 200 offices.

Singh also listed some initiatives by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension, Government of India like special concessions and incentives to the Central Government employees working in Kashmir Valley in attached and subordinate offices or PSUs falling under the control of the Central Government.

He said that they were extended special concessions for a period of three years with effect from August 1, 2021, and the incentives included an additional house rent allowance, composite transfer grant, per diem allowance, an incentive for a period of temporary duty, messing allowance, facility to draw pension at the place of settlement in relaxation of relevant provisions.

The Minister also informed that the facility for retention of general pool accommodation available to officers who have served in central government has also been extended to officers posted in Jammu and Kashmir on the pattern of northeast States.

Singh said, in view of home LTC, it can be availed to visit J-K and Ladakh for which guidelines have been notified by DoP&T and this will enhance tourism to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and also provide an opportunity to all central government employees to visit J-K and Ladakh.

Apart from the above measures, Singh said, three National Conferences on Good Governance were held in J-K covering hundreds of its employees. He said, best practices from Jammu and Kashmir and all over the country were showcased and about 800 J-K government officers were trained on effective handling of public grievances.

The Minister also informed that the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) in the Ministry of Personnel had helped the J-K government to switch over to online functioning, as a result of which the UT exchequer would save over Rs 200 cr incurred in the transport of records etc during Durbar move.

He informed that the District Good Governance Index was launched from J-K for bringing about healthy competition between districts to achieve the goal of saturation of citizen services and improving developmental activities in districts.

Moreover, four policy papers related to good governance were sponsored by J-K encouraging new models for development in the challenging scenario of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Minister further said that the government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gives high priority to J-K and there is no dearth of support forthcoming, as far as the Centre is concerned. (ANI)

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