Omar for enhancement of retirement age of employees to 60 yrs

Omar has also announced the deadline of one month for finalising the regularisation of ad hoc employees, says an official spokesman

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today announced his intention to enhance the retirement age of state government employees from 58 to 60 years.

"Omar this afternoon announced his intention to enhance the retirement age of employees from 58 to 60 years, and the upper age limit for youths to obtain government job from 37 to 40 years," an official spokesman said.

The spokesman said the Chief Minister had also announced the deadline of one month for finalising the regularisation of ad hoc employees, whose cases are under process in the Finance Department.

"I will strongly advocate the enhancement of age issue in the Cabinet and make sure that it is approved to the best satisfaction of the employees," Omar told a delegation of employees' representatives here.

The Chief Minister directed Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, who was present in the meeting along with other senior officials, to take action for withdrawing all cases instituted against agitating employees under the Essential Services (Maintenance) Ordinance.

Omar constituted a committee comprising Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and Secretary of the General Administration Department to study all other demands of the employees, outside the ambit of Finance Department, for finalising and reporting with its recommendations within a month.

"I will personally monitor functioning of this committee and all other issues pertaining to the welfare of employees and talk to representatives of employees myself without any mediators.

"We will be meeting every month to sort out issues and cement the relations between the government and its employees," Omar said.