Jammu, April 7 -- Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday called for expediting the process and to see what further reforms were needed in the rehabilitation assistance scheme (RAS) to address existing gaps and ensure timely completion of the appointment process. He made these remarks while handing over compassionate appointment letters to 124 beneficiaries of Jammu division appointed under RAS, SRO-43 and SRO-94 at the convention centre, Jammu. Addressing the gathering, he acknowledged the hardships faced by the beneficiaries and the delays in the process. He said that the intent behind revising SRO-43 was to expedite appointments, but certain shortcomings have come to light during its implementation. "We are aware of the difficulties you have gone through and also that the process took longer than it should have. There is a need to make further changes in the scheme so that appointments are completed swiftly and efficiently," he said. Omar added that government is committed to refining the scheme to ensure that such delays are minimized in future. "It should not happen that appointments meant to be made in previous years are delivered much later. We will identify the gaps and bring necessary improvements," he assured.htc...