J&K Government Sanctions Three-Day Special Leave for PM Package and Jammu-Based Employees to Celebrate Diwali

Jammu, Oct 2025 : The Jammu and Kashmir government has approved a three-day special casual leave for Prime Minister’s (PM) Package employees, migrant employees, and those belonging to the Jammu division serving in the Valley, enabling them to celebrate Diwali with their families, officials said.

According to an order issued by the General Administration Department, the special casual leave will be applicable from October 22 (Wednesday) to October 24 (Friday) for these employees serving in various departments across the Kashmir Valley. The leave aims to facilitate their travel to Jammu and allow them to participate in the Diwali festivities with their loved ones.

The PM Package, introduced as a special employment scheme for Kashmiri Pandit migrants, was designed to encourage their return and continued service in the Valley. Employees recruited under this package are primarily from the Kashmiri Pandit community and serve in different government departments in Jammu and Kashmir.

In recent years, the government has extended several welfare measures to these employees, including equal service benefits, streamlined promotions, and even temporary work-from-home options in response to heightened security concerns. These steps reflect the administration’s commitment to ensuring both professional stability and personal safety for PM Package employees.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir government, led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, has also reinstated the over 150-year-old “Darbar Move” tradition—an administrative practice of shifting top government offices between Jammu and Srinagar every six months. The custom, initiated by Dogra Maharaja Gulab Singh, symbolizes the seasonal functioning of the Union Territory’s twin capitals.

The practice was temporarily halted in 2021 under the administration of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, citing logistical challenges and modernization efforts. However, it has now been restored, ensuring continuity of this historic administrative legacy.

Under the Darbar Move, offices such as those of the Chief Minister, Cabinet Ministers, Chief Secretary, Administrative Secretaries, and the Director General of Police relocate between the two cities.

This year, the Darbar Move offices will close in Srinagar on October 31 and resume operations in Jammu from November 3, marking the biannual transition of the Union Territory’s administrative machinery.

Team Maverick.