Jammu, Mar 25: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday extended their heartiest greetings to the people on the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami, which will be celebrated tomorrow.

In a message, the Lieutenant Governor has said: “On the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami, I extend my heartiest greetings and best wishes to all.

The festival commemorates the sacred birth anniversary of Maryada Purushottam Bhagwan Shri Ram, the epitome of virtue and righteousness. His exemplary life stands as a timeless testament to the enduring principles of compassion, humility, unwavering commitment to truth, selfless dedication to duty and the discipline.

The sacred occasion of Ram Navami inspires us to follow Prabhu Shri Ram’s timeless ideals and life values in our daily lives and selflessly serve the humanity. I pray that Prabhu Shri Ram shower his divine blessings upon us in the years ahead, and may this auspicious Ram Navami fill every home with enduring peace, boundless joy, and abundant prosperity.”

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also conveyed his heartfelt greetings to the people of Jammu and Kashmir on the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami.

In his message, the Chief Minister described Shri Ram as the embodiment of righteousness, virtue and exemplary conduct.

Underscoring the timeless relevance of Shri Ram’s life and teachings, the Chief Minister remarked that his ideals serve as a guiding light, encouraging people to walk the path of righteousness and selfless service.

He further noted that Ram Navami is not merely a religious celebration, but also an occasion to reaffirm our shared commitment to the service of humanity with sincerity and dedication.

The Chief Minister prayed for peace, prosperity and well-being of all the people of Jammu and Kashmir and extended his warm wishes to those celebrating the sacred festival.

Jammu, Mar 25: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo today chaired a high-level meeting to assess the current status and expedite the updation of Recruitment Rules (RRs) across various departments of the Union Territory, with a strong emphasis on ensuring transparency, efficiency and employee welfare in public administration.

The meeting was attended by the Commissioner Secretary, ARI & Trainings Department, along with Administrative Secretaries of other departments.

While underscoring the importance of timely finalization of Recruitment Rules, the Chief Secretary directed all Administrative Secretaries to work in close coordination with the ARI & Trainings Department to complete the process within a defined timeframe.

He stressed that updated and well-structured Recruitment Rules are crucial for ensuring a transparent, merit-based and efficient recruitment framework, besides facilitating the prompt filling of vacancies across departments.

Reiterating the Government’s commitment towards employee welfare and administrative efficiency, the Chief Secretary issued clear instructions that the entire exercise must be pursued in a mission mode, eliminating delays and ensuring uniformity in recruitment processes across departments.

During the meeting, Commissioner Secretary, ARI & Trainings, Shabnam Shah Kamili, informed that the initiative marks a significant shift towards digital governance. She apprised that a dedicated online portal has been developed in collaboration with BISAG-N for updating Recruitment Rules in a streamlined and efficient manner.

She further informed that, with effect from April 1, 2026, all offline submissions of proposals for Recruitment Rules will be discontinued, and departments will be required to mandatorily route their proposals through the online portal. The portal has already been made fully operational after successful security audits and integration of SMS-based communication features. To ensure a smooth transition, four high-level training sessions have also been conducted for departmental Nodal Officers, she added.

Highlighting the progress achieved so far, it was informed that the Standing Committee constituted for the purpose has maintained a consistent pace of work, having convened 53 meetings since early 2024. Through these deliberations, Recruitment Rules for 33 services have been finalized, while preliminary drafts for 81 additional services have been prepared. Moreover, 12 services have been cleared through Executive Orders to address urgent administrative requirements.

The meeting was also apprised that these concerted efforts are aimed at clearing the existing backlog and aligning departmental structures with contemporary governance requirements and best practices.

Addressing structural gaps and pending issues, it was noted that internal audits have identified key areas requiring immediate attention, including the presence of outdated pay scales linked to the 5th and 6th Pay Commissions, as well as stagnation in “Schedule-I” post allocations.

The departments were advised to adopt uniform model Recruitment Rules for ministerial staff to bring consistency across the system. They were also instructed to clearly define parameters such as “experience” in Recruitment Rules to remove ambiguity and ensure fairness in the selection process.

The Chief Secretary issued specific directions to major departments including Health, Education, Revenue and Agriculture to resolve pending mapping issues on priority and finalize their Recruitment Rules without any further delay.

The meeting concluded with a reiteration of the Government’s resolve to modernize administrative processes, enhance transparency, and ensure timely recruitment through a robust, technology-driven framework in the best interest of government employees here.

Jammu, Mar 25: Kathua Senior Superintendent of Police Mohita Sharma on Wednesday conducted an extensive security review and inspection of border areas in the district and directed police to carry out frequent search operations in nursery areas to check for suspicious movement.

Accompanied by operations officers, the Kathua SSP toured several border police posts, nurseries and adjoining areas along the International Border in the district.

The visit was aimed at assessing ground preparedness and reviewing coordination among different security agencies deployed in the sector, they said.

The officers also patrolled the sensitive Haria Chak nursery area, where the SSP instructed regular searches to detect the presence of suspicious elements.

During the inspection of Haria Chak border police post, Sharma stressed that surveillance mechanisms in the area should be strengthened by installing CCTV cameras at all border police posts and naka points to enhance real-time monitoring.

She emphasised maintaining close coordination with the residents to ensure real-time information sharing.

The team later visited Maharajpur border police post and reviewed the progress of ongoing construction works.

“Directions were issued to expedite the work while ensuring adherence to security specifications and infrastructural standards,” they said.

Kathua Police reiterated its commitment to maintaining safety and security in the border district through proactive policing, enhanced surveillance and strong inter-agency coordination, officials said.

Jammu, Mar 25: A Pakistani intruder was detained by Border Security Force (BSF) along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district on Wednesday, officials said.

Alert BSF troops picked up the movement of an elderly Pakistani opposite Border Out Post Bhaller in Ramgarh sector and subsequently challenged him when he intruded into this side, the officials said.

They said he surrendered on being challenged and preliminary questioning revealed that he had inadvertently crossed the border.

He is likely to be repatriated after completion of necessary formalities shortly, the officials said.