J&K Bank: Recruitment of 250 POs, 1,200 associates scrapped

Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 27

In a major decision, the State Administrative Council (SAC), headed by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant-Governor Girish Chandra Murmu, today scrapped the recruitment of 250 probationary officers (POs) and 1,200 banking associates in Jammu and Kashmir Bank due to “various legal infirmities”.

The SAC has asked J&K Bank, which remained in major controversies over irregularities in recruitment, “to initiate a fresh, new, fair norm-based and transparent recruitment process for 250 POs and 1,200 banking associates through the IBPS in a fair and transparent manner”.

This was stated by the government spokesperson and Principal Secretary Rohit Kansal at a press conference here on Wednesday evening after the SAC meeting.

Flanked by Commissioner-Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi and Director Information, Dr Syed Sehrish Asgar, the government spokesperson said, “The SAC noted that the issue of recruitment in J&K bank had been ongoing for a long time since 2018. The Council also noted that various legal infirmities had been pointed out in the ongoing process. The Council also noted that there was a need to conclude the process and to ensure that the recruitment of officers and assistants in the bank was made on a urgent and time bound basis”.

“The SAC directed the Finance Department to advise the JKB to initiate a fresh, new, fair, norm-based and transparent recruitment process for 250 POs and 1,200 banking associates in the JKB through the IBPS in a fair and transparent manner. The recruitment process will be completed on a fast-track basis within a period of three months. The detailed modalities will be worked out by the Board of the JKB and announced after its next meeting. As a consequence, the ongoing recruitment process by the bank for these posts shall stand scrapped,” the spokesperson said.

Kansal said the bank was also being advised to ensure that all applicants eligible for recruitment in the last process, which now had been cancelled, would be eligible for the fresh process also.