21 lakh applications, Rs 114 crore fees but 38 J&K recruitment exams remain pending

Jammu and Kashmir recruitment agencies received over 21 lakh applications for 15,964 government posts between 2023 and 2026, collecting Rs 113.91 crore in fees. PDP MLA Waheed Ur Rehman Para has flagged 38 pending JKPSC examinations, along with concerns over recruitment delays, reservation and candidate verification procedures.Jammu and Kashmir recruitment agencies received over 21 lakh applications for 15,964 government posts between 2023 and 2026, collecting Rs 113.91 crore in fees. (Photo: PTI)New Delhi,Oct 5, 2026 10:32 ISTBetween 2023 and 2026, JKPSC and JKSSB advertised 15,964 government posts and received 21,12,121 applications, according to government data cited in the J&K Assembly. The two agencies collected Rs 113.91 crore in application fees from aspirants.JKPSC conducted 245 recruitment examinations for 4,961 posts, receiving 2.76 lakh applications and collecting Rs 24.42 crore. JKSSB conducted 124 examinations for 11,003 posts, receiving 18.36 lakh applications and collecting Rs 89.49 crore.But the recruitment process has not moved at the same pace.38 JKPSC EXAMS STILL PENDINGPDP MLA Waheed Ur Rehman Para has flagged the delays, saying 38 JKPSC recruitment examinations remain pending. Government figures show that these include two examinations from 2023-24, 32 from 2025-26 and four from April 2026 onwards. Aspirants have paid Rs 28.76 lakh in fees for these pending examinations. “Lakhs of applications, crores of rupees collected, examinations pending and our youth continue to live in uncertainty,” Para said in a post on X.Beyond looting Rs 114 crore from unemployed youth in just two years through JKSSB and JKPSC exam fees, the flawed RESERVATION policy that excludes Kashmiri-speaking people and the arbitrary VERIFICATION process that rejects them are being weaponised to push Kashmiri-speaking youth out of the system, raised these pressing concerns in the Assembly today, seeking rectification on these issues.— Waheed Ur Rehman Para (@parawahid) September 30, 2026He has also questioned the functioning of JKPSC without a chairman and urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene.PARA FLAGS RESERVATION, VERIFICATION CONCERNS In the Assembly, Para also raised concerns about reservation and verification procedures, particularly for Kashmiri-speaking candidates.He alleged that candidates who clear examinations, including on merit, face scrutiny during verification over their family or background.“Every child selected has to go through the verification process,” he said, alleging that some candidates are questioned about relatives linked to militancy or separatism.Para said he was not against reservation, but argued that it should correspond to population and alleged that Kashmiri-speaking youth feel excluded from the system.The recruitment figures have added to wider concerns over unemployment and delays faced by government job aspirants in Jammu and Kashmir.- Ends