Srinagar, Oct 2: PDP MLA Waheed Ur Rehman Para has raised concerns over the recruitment process in Jammu and Kashmir, citing government figures that show 21.12 lakh applications were received for 15,964 posts advertised by the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) and J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB) over the three financial years from 2023-24 to 2025-26.
Para, in a post on X, said the two recruitment agencies collected nearly ₹114 crore in application fees during the period and pointed to 38 JKPSC examinations that remained pending. He also questioned the functioning of the constitutional commission without a chairman and urged the Lieutenant Governor and Chief Minister to intervene.
The figures cited by Para were placed before the J&K Legislative Assembly in response to his question during the recently concluded sixth session. According to the government reply, JKPSC conducted 245 recruitment examinations involving 4,961 advertised posts, while JKSSB conducted 124n examinations involving 11,003 posts during the three-year period.
JKPSC received 2,76,065 applications during the period and collected ₹24.42 crore in application fees, while JKSSB received 18,36,056 applications and collected ₹89.49 crore. Together, the two agencies received more than 21.12 lakh applications and collected about ₹113.91 crore.
The government data showed that 38 JKPSC examinations were pending, including 32 from 2025-26 and four from the period beginning Apr 1, 2026. The Commission had two pending examinations in 2023-24 and none in 2024-25. A total of ₹28.76 lakh had been collected in fees in connection with pending and cancelled examinations.
The government has stated that JKPSC, with assistance from the National Informatics Centre, is developing an online mechanism for refund of fees in cases involving withdrawal of posts or multiple payments. It has also clarified that fees are not refunded merely because an examination has been postponed, as the recruitment process remains scheduled to continue.
Para, in his post, linked the pending examinations and the vacant chairman position to uncertainty among job aspirants and called for intervention by the Lieutenant Governor and Chief Minister. Reports published in September said the JKPSC chairman’s post fell vacant following the retirement of A.K. Choudhary in August, with the Commission continuing with two serving members.
The issue comes amid intense competition for government employment in J&K, with the Assembly data showing that more than 11.24 lakh candidates appeared in the recruitment examinations conducted by JKPSC and JKSSB during the three-year period. [KNT]
