J&K outsourcing recruitment row: NC rebuts PDP's 'backdoor jobs' charge

The National Conference-led Jammu and Kashmir government and the Opposition People's Democratic Party are trading blame over recruitment through the outsourcing process, with both accusing each other of corruption and malafide intent.

The PDP has alleged that the NC government recruited 25,000 people through the backdoor since coming to power in October 2024, while the NC has blamed the PDP for introducing the outsourcing process during its coalition government with BJP between 2015 and 2018. Interestingly, both parties have accused each other of supporting and advancing BJP's agenda in Jammu and Kashmir.

State ministers Sakina Itoo and Javed Dar, along with chief minister's Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani, jointly addressed a press conference on Sunday to counter the allegations levelled by former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti. "Outsourcing is only an administrative arrangement over and above the sanctioned strength and is used to meet urgent manpower requirements in departments such as health, agriculture, and sanitation,"


Wani said. "This cannot be equated with permanent employment. These engagements are carried out through transparent tendering systems, the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, and other procurement processes."

He added that all regular government posts are filled strictly through a merit-based and transparent process conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission and the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board.

"We have inherited the outsourcing process, just like the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A and the loss of statehood. This policy is a direct outcome of decisions taken between 2015 and 2018," Itoo said.

"We have enough evidence of backdoor appointments made during the PDP-led government in J&K Bank and the Khadi and Village Industries Board. We know how ten relatives of one MLA were adjusted during Mufti's rule," she added.

The minister added that outsourcing arrangements are largely linked to centrally sponsored schemes introduced between 2015 and 2018.

"This case is still with the ACB. Where were merit and transparency when you (Mehbooba Mufti) made such recruitments in J&K Bank?" she asked. Earlier, Mufti had alleged that the NC government was recruiting people from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and other states "through alien contractors" who lacked the qualifications to identify suitable candidates.

"The NC government promised to provide one lakh jobs, and 25,000 of them have been handed out through a corrupt backdoor process, especially to outsiders and people linked to the NC and BJP. The question is how were these outsourcing agencies selected, and who assesses the candidature and qualifications of those who get the jobs?" Mufti said.

She further stated, "NC is the fountainhead of corruption. If they believe I have done something wrong, let them present the evidence to the BJP government in New Delhi, which has been after me for the past seven years." Mufti also alleged that NC MLAs had sought lists from their workers to distribute these jobs through the "questionable outsourcing process" to their own people.

"There are middlemen demanding Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh from people to help them secure these jobs. If this is not a backdoor process, let the government make public the advertisements issued for each post and explain the process involved," she said.

She questioned why the government was not relying on the official recruitment agencies to fill these posts. "If I had been corrupt, I would not be living in a house 30 kilometres away from the city. I too would have been living on Gupkar Road," Mufti said.