Cabinet nod to law on domicile conditions for jobs in J-K

The Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the order issued under Section 96 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.

The Jammu and Kashmir (Adaptation of State Laws) Second Order, 2020, was notified by the Union Home Ministry on April 3. The order has further modified the applicability of domicile conditions for all levels of jobs in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir under the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralisation and Recruitment) Act (Act No. XVI of 2010), an official statement said.

However, the government note did not mention any further details. The Cabinet nod came almost a month after the Central government in a historic decision changed the Jammu and Kashmir domicile rules, issuing an order declaring that all civil servant jobs in the newly created UT will be reserved for its residents.

The Ministry of Home Affairs had announced it through a Gazette notification making changes in the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralization and Recruitment) Act, 2010.

As per the order, the civil servant will be a "domicile of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir".

This was the second change in the Jammu and Kashmir domicile rule. The Narendra Modi government in a similar notification on April 1 had redefined the domicile rule for government jobs in the newly-created UT through the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of State Laws) Order, 2020.

According to the notification, anyone who has resided in J&K for 15 years or has studied in the state for seven years, and appeared in either Class 10 or Class 12 examination, will be eligible for domicile certificates. This would allow them to apply for gazetted and non-gazetted government jobs.

The J&K administration had on Monday issued new rules allowing people belonging to West Pakistan, Valmikis, women marrying outside their communities, non-registered Kashmiri migrants and displaced people to get domicile status.

As per the Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure) Rules, 2020, the children of such people in these categories can now also get jobs in the Union Territory.