J&K recruitment bodies take in Rs 114 crore as advertised jobs tumble

Jammu and Kashmir's two government recruitment agencies have collected Rs 114 crore in application fees from job seekers over the 2023‑24, 2024‑25 and 2025‑26 financial years. The figures were disclosed in the state assembly during the ongoing autumn session. The data also show a sharp drop in the number of posts advertised since the Omar Abdullah government assumed power in October 2024. The Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) advertised 2,586 posts in 2023‑24, 1,400 in 2024‑25 and just 357 in 2025‑26. The Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board (JKSSB) advertised 4,228 non‑gazetted posts in 2023‑24, rose to 5,044 in 2024‑25 and fell to 1,731 in 2025‑26. Over the three years JKSSB collected about Rs 89.50 crore for 11,003 non‑gazetted posts, while JKPSC gathered Rs 24.43 crore for 4,961 gazetted posts. The Service Selection Board received 1,836,056 applications for its advertised jobs but only 938,777 candidates appeared for the exams. JKPSC got 276,065 applications for its posts, with 185,808 candidates actually taking the tests. PDP legislator Waheed Para accused the agencies of becoming "money‑minting machines" and said around 90 % of recruitment has stalled for two years. JKPSC has not yet refunded any fees, whereas JKSSB has returned Rs 1.36 crore and is working with the National Informatics Centre on an online refund system expected to launch soon.## Context The fee collection highlights how large sums are being drawn from unemployed youth even as the number of available government jobs shrinks, raising concerns about the fairness of the recruitment process.