J&K govt grants 3-day special casual leave to PM Package employees serving in Kashmir for Diwali celebrations

Srinagar, Oct 23 (IANS) The Jammu and Kashmir government has sanctioned three-day special casual leave for PM package employees/migrant employees and those belonging to Jammu division and serving in the Valley so that these employees can celebrate Diwali with their families, government officials said.

An order issued by the Jammu and Kashmir General Administration Department said that three-day special casual leave is sanctioned for PM package/migrant and employees belonging to Jammu division and posted in different departments in the Valley on October 22 (Wednesday), October 23 (Thursday) and October 24 (Friday) for celebrating Diwali in Jammu.

It must be mentioned that a special employment package called the PM Package was announced for Kashmiri Pandit migrants so that they could serve in the Valley.

PM package employees in Jammu and Kashmir are primarily Kashmiri Pandit government employees recruited under a special package, with developments including the government's assurance of equal benefits and promotions, as well as temporary work-from-home directives in response to security concerns.

These employees are receiving benefits comparable to other Jammu and Kashmir government employees and have experienced streamlined career progression through measures like the approval of the promotion scheme in July 2022.

The Jammu and Kashmir government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has also restored the over one-and-a-half century-old tradition of shuttling top government offices between the twin capitals of Jammu and Srinagar on six-monthly basis.

The practice was started by the Dogra Maharaja Gulab Singh and is called the 'Darbar Move'. The practice was stopped by the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in 2021.

The offices which move between Srinagar and Jammu are called the Darbar Move offices and these include the offices of the Chief Minister, his Cabinet colleagues, Chief Secretary, all administrative secretaries, the Office of the Director General of Police (DGP) and many other offices.

This year, these offices will close in Srinagar on October 31 and restart functioning in Jammu on November 3.

--IANS

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