Srinagar, May 14:  With 84000 vacancies piling up in government departments in Jammu & Kashmir, the authorities on Thursday set-up a high-level panel to fast-track recruitment process which has come to halt after abrogation of the Article 370 by BJP-led central government.

Government has constituted the committee to accelerate recruitment process as well as to ensure transparency in it. The committee would be headed by Navin Choudhary, Principal Secretary to government agriculture/horticulture department.

It will comprise of Suarabh Bhagat, commissioner secretary, Labour and Employment department, Farooq Ahmad Lone, secretary, General Administration Department  and Achal Sethi, secretary, Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary affairs.

The committee has been mandated to identify the vacancies to be filled up on immediate basis with priority to Class-IV vacancies.

It will also finalise the procedure to be followed for recruitment, so that the principles of transparency and inclusiveness are maintained and the process of recruitment is concluded speedily.

The committee will also ensure that necessary sanctions/approvals are obtained, rules notified (wherever required) for enabling Services Selection Board to commence the process of recruitment immediately and removing hitches in the recruitment process, if any.

It is worthwhile to mention that the Government of India has already announced on the floor of Lok Sabha that 50000 vacancies would be filled in government departments in J&K during the ongoing fiscal.

A budgetary provision of Rs 2000 crore has also been earmarked for recruitment process in J&K UT’s maiden budget presented in the Parliament earlier this year.