Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy on Thursday introduced the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021, in the Rajya Sabha. It seeks to replace an ordinance to merge the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) cadre of All India Services Officers such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service with the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre.
The Statement of objects and reasons for the Bill said, “There is a huge deficiency of the officers of All India Services in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The developmental schemes, centrally sponsored schemes and other allied activities suffer due to non-availability of All India Officers in the existing cadres of the Jammu and Kashmir as such there is a requirement of merging it with Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, Union territories cadre so that the officers in this cadre can be posted in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir to meet out any deficiency to some extent.”
The ordinance signed by President Ram Nath Kovind on January 7 amended the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019 that bifurcated the former State into Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
Section 88 of the original Act said the members of the cadres of IAS, IPS and Indian Forest Service for the existing State of J&K shall continue to function on the existing cadres. The Bill seeks to amend this provision.
A source said that more than a year after the special status of J&K was revoked they were facing resistance from some State cadre officers. “This Bill is being brought to change the staus quo, some officers were used to taking directions from few families who have ruled the former State.”
For the purpose of bringing clarity to section 13 of the original Act, the Bill proposes to amend the said section.
