Srinagar, Aug 20: In a latest development, J&K School Education Department (SED) Thursday notified a new comprehensive transfer policy for its employees while introducing a five-zone rotation system.

The new policy has introduced a point-based assessment mechanism besides special safeguards for employees serving in difficult areas.

As per the order, the policy has been issued while superseding all previous government orders on the subject and seeks to regulate transfers through prescribed tenure norms, merit-based points and staff rationalisation.

Under the new framework, all educational institutions have been divided into five Annual Transfer Drive (ATD) zones.

As per the policy, Zone-I covers institutions within municipal limits of district headquarters while Zone-II includes those areas located outside municipal limits and up to 20 kilometres from district headquarters while Zone-III covers institutions beyond 20 and up to 40 kilometres.

Also, Zone-IV comprises institutions located beyond 40 kilometres from district headquarters that require a change of residence, while Zone-V has been designated as the difficult-area category.

As per the framework, employees posted in Zones I, II and III will ordinarily have a three-year tenure at a particular institution.

“The tenure will be two years for Zone-IV and one year for Zone-V,” it reads.

As per the policy, the government has ordered that employees completing the prescribed tenure in Zone-V will ordinarily be relieved from such postings for which the concerned directorates will be required to initiate their further adjustment.

“Retention beyond the prescribed tenure will be allowed only in exceptional circumstances and reasons will have to be recorded in writing,” it reads.

Also, the completion of prescribed Zone-V tenure will give employees a preferential claim for consideration against suitable vacancies in Zones-I and II, subject to administrative requirements.

The policy also seeks to prevent prolonged postings in difficult areas by making service there a major factor in the new transfer assessment system.

“Employees serving in Zone-V can earn five points for completing the prescribed tenure, apart from additional points for service beyond the mandatory tenure, with a maximum of 25 points,” the policy document reads.

For Zone-IV service, employees will get three points for completing the prescribed tenure and additional points for service beyond the mandatory period, with a maximum of 15 points.

The department has introduced an online, point-based Transfer Assessment Matrix for the annual transfer exercise, aimed at determining relative priority among employees seeking transfers.

Apart from hard-area service, the matrix gives five points to employees aged 55 years or above and five points to female employees who are widows, divorcees or single parents.

“Persons with benchmark disabilities can receive up to 10 points, while employees with serious illness of themselves, their spouse, child or dependent parent can also receive 10 points,” it reads.

As per the policy, employees whose spouses are serving in government and posted in the same district will receive five points.

The policy additionally provides 10 points for demonstrated exceptional academic performance, including improvement in student learning outcomes, board examination results, school performance and other measurable academic achievements during the preceding three academic years.

“Employees aged 58 years and above will ordinarily not be posted to Zone-IV or Zone-V, except where compelling administrative considerations exist and the employee requests such posting,” it reads.

As per the policy, the special consideration will be given to government-employed spouses, employees nearing superannuation, single parents, widows, divorcees, female employees, persons with benchmark disabilities and employees facing exceptional medical or security-related circumstances.

“Government-employed spouses will, as far as feasible, be posted suitably or within reasonable proximity to each other, subject to availability of posts,” it reads.

Also, employees due to retire within one year will preferably be posted near their residences, while those aged 58 years and above will ordinarily be kept out of the two hardest zones.

The government will also consider inter-cadre transfers on marriage ground on the recommendation of a designated committee, provided the employee has completed at least five years of service in the parent district or divisional cadre.

The policy also places restrictions on mutual transfers. Such transfers will ordinarily not be permitted within the so-called soft Zones I, II and III and will primarily be considered where they facilitate rotation from hard zones without adversely affecting pupil-teacher ratios.

‘Employees transferred on a mutual basis will be required to serve for a minimum of three years at the allotted place,” it reads.

The department has also tightened staff rationalisation provisions wherein the surplus employees identified through rationalisation can be redeployed to institutions facing shortages irrespective of their period of stay at the existing place of posting.

However, the government has said that rationalisation should not completely deplete teaching staff from an institution or adversely affect teaching of core subjects.

“Transfers will ordinarily be carried out after conclusion of the academic session and before commencement of the next academic session. The department, however, retains the power to order transfers during the academic session in cases involving academic or administrative exigencies, including subject-specific requirements, staff imbalances, school results, enrolment patterns and institutional performance,” it reads.

The policy framework also empowers the competent authority to defer, modify or withhold a transfer if its implementation is likely to adversely affect academic outcomes, public examinations or the functioning of an institution.

The government has reiterated that the new policy does not apply to Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) and Regularised Rehbar-e-Taleem (RReT) employees, whose appointments are school-specific.

“A separate framework governing their transfers and allied service matters is under formulation and will be notified separately,” it reads.

Srinagar, Aug 20: Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Nalin Prabhat on Thursday reviewed the operational deployment and security preparations for the upcoming Kousarnag Yatra.

The review meeting was held with concerned formations of J&K Police, 2 Sector RR, 14 Sector RR and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

The meeting focused on ensuring foolproof security arrangements and smooth conduct of the yatra.

Bandipora, 20 Aug: Former Minister and PDP leader Naeem Akhtar has urged the Jammu and Kashmir Government to integrate rainwater harvesting and storage systems with the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), particularly in hilly and mountainous habitations facing difficulties due to the absence of dependable perennial water sources.

Akhtar said he discussed the proposal with Additional Chief Secretary Shaleen Kabra during a meeting and subsequently followed up the matter with a detailed note, highlighting the need for a more sustainable approach to drinking water supply in the mountainous regions of Jammu and Kashmir.

In his note, Akhtar pointed out that a significant number of habitations in the Union Territory are situated in mountainous terrain where reliable and perennial sources of water are either scarce or altogether absent. He said that in several cases, JJM schemes have been planned around seasonal springs and streams which may initially appear adequate but often witness a substantial decline in discharge during lean seasons.

According to the former minister, some such water sources have even dried up after schemes were commissioned, making it difficult to maintain assured and sustainable tap-water supply to the concerned habitations.

Akhtar said that ironically, many of these mountainous areas receive substantial rainfall and snowfall every year, but a large portion of this water is lost as surface runoff due to the absence of adequate infrastructure for its collection and storage.

He proposed that small-scale rainwater harvesting structures and storage reservoirs should be incorporated into JJM schemes in habitations where dependable natural water sources are unavailable. The stored water could subsequently supplement drinking water supplies during periods when existing sources face depletion.

He also suggested that, wherever technically feasible, stored water could be conveyed through gravity-based systems, reducing dependence on energy-intensive pumping arrangements.

Akhtar specifically referred to several villages in Bandipora district, including Doban, Malangam, Argam, Chittibandi, Aloosa, Ajas and Guroora, where he said he had personally observed the need for such an intervention.

He also mentioned Hajibal village in Baramulla district, besides instances in Rajouri and Poonch, where villages receive considerable rainfall but continue to face drinking water shortages because of the absence of dependable perennial sources.

To minimise the additional financial burden on the government, Akhtar suggested that rainwater harvesting infrastructure could be developed through convergence with existing government programmes, including the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP), MGNREGA and schemes of the Rural Development, Irrigation and Flood Control and Agriculture Departments.

He said such convergence could help create durable community assets while making better use of existing resources. He further suggested that ST Sub-Plan funds could be utilised for such interventions in mountainous areas inhabited predominantly by Scheduled Tribe populations.

Akhtar has requested the government to consider issuing appropriate policy directions and technical guidelines for incorporating rainwater harvesting components into JJM schemes in identified vulnerable habitations.

He said such an initiative could significantly improve the sustainability and reliability of rural drinking water supply in the mountainous areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

The proposal seeks to address a key challenge faced by remote hill habitations—where water is available in abundance during the wet season but is not adequately captured and stored for use during periods of water-source depletion.

Akhtar has urged the concerned authorities to examine the proposal and explore its integration into the planning and implementation of JJM schemes in vulnerable areas across Jammu and Kashmir. (KNS)

Srinagar, Aug 20: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said a ₹31-crore modern abattoir project in Srinagar had been revived and would introduce systematic testing and certification of meat sold in the city.

Omar said the project, originally conceived in 2011-12, had remained stalled for several reasons before being revived by Srinagar Municipal Corporation Commissioner Fazl-ul-Haseeb and other officials.

“Almost ₹31 crore will be spent on it,” Omar said, adding that the facility would test sheep brought for slaughter to ensure they were free of disease.

The meat leaving the facility would also be halal-certified, he said.

“Although the project is to be completed in two years, Haseeb has assured me that they will complete it within a year and a half,” Omar said.

The Chief Minister said the project was particularly important given complaints about the quality of meat sold in Srinagar over the past two years.

“There were major complaints regarding meat, and in many places poor-quality meat was also found being sold to people,” he said.

He recalled that consumers had earlier been able to identify inspected meat through an official stamp.

“There was a time when meat sold in Srinagar and surrounding areas carried a stamp. You knew that the meat was genuine and safe,” Omar said.

“We want to restart it, so that wherever meat is sold in Srinagar, it carries an official stamp and people know that it is of good quality and that eating it will not harm their health,” he added.

Film festival not about bringing Bollywood stars
On the upcoming film festival in Jammu and Kashmir, Omar played down expectations of participation by Hollywood stars and said the event was primarily intended to expose local audiences and aspiring filmmakers to different forms of cinema.

“Don’t expect Hollywood. I wish we had reached a stage where people from Hollywood came, but that will take time,” he said, adding that the participation of some Bollywood personalities would be welcome.

However, Omar stressed that attracting Bollywood celebrities was not the festival’s objective.
“The purpose is not to bring Bollywood people here. Our effort is to give people here exposure to different kinds of films,” he said.

“It is not my purpose, nor is it the purpose of this film festival, that we should remain under the misconception that if Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan or Salman Khan comes here, then our film festival will become successful,” he added.

The festival would instead focus on screening films that local audiences would not normally get to watch, besides conducting workshops in editing, directing, cinematography and music.

Omar said the aim was also to develop local technical expertise so that filmmakers shooting in Kashmir would not have to depend entirely on technicians from outside.

“Our people should be able to do that work, and employment will also increase here as a result. That is the effort,” he said.

Omar declines comment on US-Pakistan diplomatic row
Asked about the meeting between him and US Ambassador Sergio Gor and the subsequent summoning of Pakistan’s diplomatic representative, Omar said the matter concerned Washington and Islamabad.

“They were not summoned; the Chargé d’Affaires was. This is a matter between Pakistan and America. Neither you nor I can do anything about it,” he said.

On Congress saying that Jammu and Kashmir is an important part of India and questioning why such a statement should come from the US, Omar declined to engage in a political exchange.

“I am not getting into this now. Congress has a point of view. They are a political party; they are the largest Opposition party; they are entitled to their point of view,” he said.

“I am not going to get into a war of words over this. What can I say about it?” he added.

AIIMS work progressing, law university file nearly ready
On the proposed AIIMS facility, Omar said construction was progressing rapidly and that one block was expected to become operational this year.

“We have been assured that when I had earlier gone there to review the construction, one block would become operational this year, where OPD and some other treatments would begin,” he said.

“We hope they will stick to that commitment,” he added.

On the proposed law university, Omar said discussions were still underway over its location but indicated that the government was close to completing the necessary paperwork.

“Discussions are underway about where the law university will be established, but I think the file is almost ready,” he said. “We will have to give further approval, but it will happen.”

Omar also said one or two private universities could soon begin setting up operations in Jammu and Kashmir.

“I have heard that one or two private universities are ready to come here,” he said, adding that the government could soon announce their arrival and witness the laying of their foundation stones.

He said the private universities had been waiting for the government to complete the regulatory process.

“The Act was passed during the Budget Session. After that, we were preparing the rules. The rules have been completed and released. Now private universities will start coming in,” Omar said.