Srinagar, Oct 23 (KNO): The All India Registered Nurses Federation (AIRNF), Jammu and Kashmir UT Committee, has raised serious concerns over the prolonged delay in finalising Service Recruitment Rules (SRRs) for non-gazetted employees of five new Government Medical Colleges (GMCs), alleging that nearly seven years of uncertainty have left employees facing career stagnation and aspiring candidates waiting for permanent recruitment opportunities.
Speaking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Vishav Sharma, State President of AIRNF, said the rules for non-gazetted employees of five new GMCs Rajouri, Doda, Kathua, Baramulla and Anantnag have remained pending since 2019 despite repeated assurances from the government and successive administrative heads of the Health and Medical Education (H&ME) Department.
He said the failure to finalise the rules had raised serious questions about administrative accountability, employee welfare and the functioning of the department.
Sharma said September 30, 2026, was publicly communicated as the deadline for finalising the rules. He said the deadline was reportedly conveyed through the government's Information and Public Relations Department, the then Commissioner Secretary of H&ME, the Health Minister and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who had indicated that the process was at its final stage.
“Despite these assurances, the employees are still waiting for the rules. A publicly announced deadline has little meaning if it is not followed by a concrete decision,” he said, seeking an explanation for the failure to meet the deadline and clarification about the administrative hurdles delaying the process.
Sharma said six IAS officers had reportedly held charge as Secretary or the corresponding senior administrative head of the H&ME Department since 2019, yet the issue remained unresolved.
He said successive changes in leadership could not be allowed to become an excuse for prolonged administrative inaction, adding that the government should review the official record to identify the stages at which the process was delayed and fix responsibility wherever warranted.
The federation also highlighted the disparity in career progression between gazetted and non-gazetted employees, claiming that the former had received three rounds of promotions or promotional advancements since 2019, while the latter continued to face uncertainty in the absence of a clearly defined service structure.
Sharma said the delay had affected employees' career progression, promotional prospects and potential financial benefits, urging the government to initiate pending Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) proceedings and examine claims for consequential benefits under the applicable service rules.
He further claimed that the first recruitment through the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) for the five medical colleges was undertaken in 2019, with no subsequent recruitment advertisement issued for non-gazetted posts in these institutions.
The federation said the absence of finalised recruitment rules could also be affecting permanent recruitment in GMC Handwara and GMC Udhampur, and called upon the department to clarify the status of the rules for these institutions.
Sharma said delays in framing recruitment rules could obstruct workforce planning, prevent the timely filling of sanctioned vacancies and deprive eligible candidates of opportunities to compete for government jobs.
“The issue is not limited to the publication of a government document. It concerns the professional future of serving employees, the employment prospects of aspiring candidates and the efficient functioning of public healthcare institutions,” he said.
AIRNF has demanded immediate finalisation and publication of the rules, a transparent review of the delay since 2019, initiation of due promotional proceedings and a definite timeline for permanent recruitment in the affected medical colleges.
The federation has also sought an explanation for missing the September 30 deadline and called for an examination of the administrative process, including drafting, departmental processing and legal and administrative vetting, to establish where the delays occurred.
Sharma said the government must move beyond repeated assurances and take concrete steps to resolve the issue, adding that nearly seven years of uncertainty could not be dismissed as a routine administrative delay.
“Employees deserve clarity on their service conditions and career progression. The government must explain why the promised deadline was not met, disclose the present status of the rules and ensure that the matter is resolved without further avoidable delay,” he said—(KNO)