By Staff Reporter
Jammu Tawi, Oct 28:
In a revelation that has stirred widespread criticism, the Jammu Kashmir Government has disclosed that it has collected a whopping ₹31.75 crore as recruitment test fees from job aspirants since October 2024. What has drawn sharper outrage is the government’s categorical refusal to abolish these application charges—despite the growing unemployment crisis and economic distress among the youth.
According to a written reply furnished by the General Administration Department (GAD) to a question raised by Peoples Conference MLA Sajad Gani Lone in the Legislative Assembly, the Jammu Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) and the Jammu Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) realized a total of ₹31,75,32,400 from job aspiring candidates during recruitment exercises held over the past year.
The government has defended the practice, asserting that the fee collected by the recruiting agencies is meant to meet “administrative and operational expenses” involved in conducting examinations. These, the reply stated, include advertisement charges, application processing, printing of examination materials, deployment of manpower, infrastructure, and technological arrangements to ensure transparency and efficiency. The administration further claimed that the fee structure in Jammu Kashmir “remains reasonable and is at par with that charged by various recruiting agencies across the country.”
Criticism over Ethical and Welfare concerns
However, this justification has failed to convince many. Political observers and civil society voices describe the policy as “most unfair and unethical” in a welfare state already grappling with an alarming rise in educated unemployment. Thousands of jobless youth, struggling to make ends meet, are forced to pay substantial amounts merely to apply for multiple posts on multiple attempts—often in recruitment processes that face frequent cancellations, paper leaks, and prolonged delays.
The criticism stems from the broader principle that in a welfare-oriented democracy, it is the state’s prime duty to create employment opportunities, not to extract revenue from those in distress. By charging unemployed citizens to compete for government jobs, critics argue, the administration has only deepened their frustration and despair.
Opposition Accuses Govt of Betrayal
Raising the issue in the Assembly, Peoples Conference leader Sajad Gani Lone lashed out at the government for what he called “another election pledge abandoned.”
“In its election manifesto, the JKNC had promised to waive off application fees for recruitment agencies like SSRB and JKPSC,” Lone said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “I asked a question to find out whether that election promise had been fulfilled.”
He added that the Chief Minister, who also holds charge of the General Administration Department, admitted in the House that ₹31 crore had been collected in fees since the government assumed office in October last year. “This ₹31 crore reflects one of the many broken promises and a trail of lies and deceit,” Lone remarked. “Please, for once, can they admit that they lied—and apologise?”
Youth Feel Betrayed
Job aspirants across the Union Territory view the move as a double blow. Not only are employment avenues shrinking, but even the process of seeking a job has turned into an additional financial burden. Many unemployed youth allege that the state has failed to provide adequate relief, skill development opportunities, or recruitment transparency, yet continues to extract crores from their pockets under the pretext of examination expenses.
“The unemployed have no income, no job security, and no guarantee of fair selection. Yet they are made to fund the system that often fails them,” remarked one candidate who has appeared in several recruitment tests over the past two years.
A Policy That Punishes the Poor
At a time when the administration routinely spends lavishly on non-essential items and ceremonial functions, its insistence on collecting fees from the unemployed raises serious moral and policy questions. Critics argue that if the government can afford to subsidize various sectors, it can surely waive examination fees for jobless youth who are already burdened by economic hardship.
The episode exposes a deeper contradiction in governance—between the state’s proclaimed commitment to “youth empowerment” and its actions that penalize the very section it claims to uplift. In a region where government jobs remain the primary avenue of employment, charging crores from the unemployed amounts to squeezing the jobless rather than supporting them.
For thousands of young aspirants in Jammu and Kashmir, the message could not be more disheartening: even the pursuit of opportunity now comes at a price.
