Srinagar, June 28: A fresh political controversy has erupted in Jammu & Kashmir over the job outsourcing policy after opposition parties questioned the award of manpower contracts worth several crores of rupees to private agencies across multiple departments.
The debate follows the government’s clarification that no regular government posts have been filled through “backdoor appointments.” However, it acknowledged that departments have engaged personnel through empanelled outsourcing agencies to meet operational requirements.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has since released official documents detailing outsourcing arrangements across government departments, alleging that the scale of outsourcing raises serious questions about transparency, accountability and recruitment practices.
The documents made available to Ziraat Times reveal that thousands of personnel have been hired through private agencies to perform duties ranging from field work and sanitation to technical support, data entry, driving, security and IT services.
Among the largest engagements is the Floriculture Department, which outsourced 4,350 field staff during FY 2025 for the development and maintenance of the new Chrysanthemum Garden at Chashma Shahi. The department also engaged 3,530 field staff during FY 2024-25 and 708 field staff during FY 2025 (till date) for the development and maintenance of the Tulip Garden at Sanasar through outsourcing agencies.
The Social Welfare Department outsourced 1,198 personnel, including 1,185 under Mission Vatsalya, 11 in the District Social Welfare Office, Jammu, and two under Mission Shakti, at an annual expenditure of over Rs 20.37 crore.
The Hospitality and Protocol Department engaged 384 outsourced personnel, while the Estates Department outsourced 382 sanitation workers.
The Finance Department engaged 123 outsourced personnel, comprising 95 staff for the Taxes Department, 25 for the Budget Division, two personnel for the Finance (A&I) wing and one driver for the Directorate of Accounts and Treasuries.
The Election Department outsourced 96 personnel, including 90 ERONET operators, two drivers, one plumber, one lift operator, one electrician, one IT expert and one financial expert.
The Labour and Employment Department hired 51 outsourced workers, including 26 Data Entry Operators, 22 Tele Operators, two chowkidars and one sweeper, while the Tribal Affairs Department engaged 50 outsourced personnel.
The Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) department outsourced 15 personnel, and another 15 workers, comprising six technical support staff, four sanitation workers and five personnel for routine functioning, were engaged for a government directorate through outsourcing arrangements.
The Law Department hired two IT professionals through an outsourcing agency, while the Information Department outsourced housekeeping services through private firms.
The documents also list dozens of private agencies that have received contracts across departments, including firms supplying manpower for horticulture, sanitation, security, technical services, IT support and administrative functions.
Opposition leaders have demanded that the government disclose the complete details of the outsourcing exercise, including the empanelment process for private agencies, tender conditions, selection criteria, recruitment methodology adopted by the agencies, payments made and the list of beneficiaries.
“The issue is no longer merely about outsourcing. It is about whether public recruitment principles of transparency, fairness and equal opportunity were upheld,” an opposition leader said.
The release of the documents has intensified public debate, with many questioning whether outsourcing has gradually become an alternative mechanism for filling positions that would otherwise have been recruited through open competitive processes.
Government officials, however, maintain that the engagements are need-based contractual arrangements undertaken through approved outsourcing agencies and should not be construed as appointments against regular government posts. They have stated that departments resort to outsourcing only where immediate manpower requirements arise and permanent recruitment is either unavailable or unsuitable.
Despite the government’s clarification, demands for greater public disclosure continue to grow. Opposition parties and civil society groups have urged the administration to place all outsourcing contracts, empanelment records, tender documents, recruitment procedures followed by agencies, payment details and deployment records in the public domain to address concerns over transparency and ensure public confidence in the process.
