Mohmad Husain Lone
In Jammu & Kashmir, a region scarred by decades of conflict, the educated youth face a new, insidious adversary: not bullets or barricades, but the bureaucratic burden of exorbitant examination fees. For these young aspirants, seeking dignity through public employment, hope has become a taxable commodity, monetized by the Jammu & Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB). While the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) charges a modest ₹100 for civil service exams, JKSSB demands ₹600, plus an additional ₹200 in cyber café charges to navigate its cumbersome online portals. This stark disparity is not a mere administrative oversight; it is a systemic betrayal of the Aam Aadmi, the common citizen, whose trust in governance is eroded by this economic exploitation.
A Marketplace of Broken Dreams
The JKSSB’s fee structure does not guarantee premium services or rigorous evaluation—it merely buys a ticket to a lottery where the odds are stacked against the aspirant. Consider the 2023 recruitment drive for 120 Junior Engineer posts. Over 50,000 candidates applied, each paying ₹600, generating an estimated ₹30 million in revenue. Yet, the process was stalled by legal challenges, leaving aspirants with neither jobs nor refunds. This is not an isolated incident. In 2021, the recruitment for 580 Accounts Assistant posts saw over 100,000 applicants, only to be mired in allegations of paper leaks and cancellations. Each time, the youth pay to enter a system that thrives on their desperation, not their merit.
These aspirants are not faceless statistics. They are the sons and daughters of displaced farmers, daily wage laborers, and single mothers. Take Aijaz, a 28-year-old from Baramulla with a master’s degree in economics. He has applied for 12 JKSSB exams over three years, spending ₹7,200 on fees alone, borrowed from relatives. His family skips meals to support his dream of a government job, yet he faces repeated cancellations or indefinite delays. For Aijaz and lakhs like him, education was meant to be a ladder out of poverty, but JKSSB has turned it into a gamble.
The Vanishing Posts and Judicial Quagmire
The pattern is disturbingly consistent: posts are advertised, fees collected, and then the recruitment process is either canceled or entangled in litigation. In 2022, JKSSB advertised 800 Sub-Inspector posts, attracting over 200,000 applicants and generating ₹120 million in fees. The process was scrapped after allegations of irregularities, with no refunds issued. Why are advertisements released without addressing known procedural or legal ambiguities? Is this incompetence, or a deliberate mechanism to profit from the vulnerable? Each canceled post is an act of economic violence, robbing youth of money, time, and mental stability.
The Silence of Accountability
When these injustices occur, who responds? The JKSSB remains silent, the secretariat offers no answers, and the judiciary delays hearings into oblivion. This silence is oppressive, drowning out the voices of aspirants like Shazia, a 25-year-old from Srinagar who sold her jewelry to pay for exam fees, only to see her application for a clerical post vanish into a legal stay. The youth of Jammu & Kashmir are not asking for charity—they demand accountability. Yet, the system treats their fees as revenue, not responsibility, leaving them to bear the cost of institutional failure.
A Constitutional and Moral Betrayal
The Indian Constitution guarantees equality before the law, yet a Kashmiri aspirant pays six times more than a Delhiite for a comparable government job exam. Does JKSSB provide superior services to justify this disparity? The answer is a resounding no. The board’s processes are plagued by inefficiencies, from outdated portals to delayed results. In contrast, the UPSC, with its rigorous selection and national scope, charges a fraction of the cost. This disparity is not just fiscal exploitation—it is a betrayal of the democratic promise, penalizing the poor for their poverty.
An Economy of Exploitation
The JKSSB’s fee model resembles a bureaucratic bazaar, where hope is sold like a scratch card. With lakhs of applicants annually, the board amasses hundreds of millions in revenue. For instance, the 2024 Naib Tehsildar recruitment for 30 posts drew over 150,000 applicants, generating ₹90 million in fees. Where does this money go? There is no public audit, no transparency on its utilization. Does it improve exam standards or ensure fairness? The persistent delays and cancellations suggest otherwise. This is not governance—it is extortion.
The Silence of Leadership
The lack of public debate on this issue is alarming. The Lieutenant Governor and Chief Minister, both capable leaders, have yet to address this systemic exploitation. Their silence risks normalizing an economy of despair, where the educated unemployed are milked for revenue. The youth’s suffering is not a statistic—it is a crisis demanding urgent policy intervention.
A Call for Justice
The youth of Jammu & Kashmir deserve better. They demand:
1. Rationalized Fees: Align JKSSB fees with UPSC/SSC standards—₹100 or less.
2. Refunds for Cancellations: Non-delivery of services warrants automatic refunds.
3. Exemptions for the Vulnerable: Waive fees for BPL, orphaned, or distressed applicants.
4. Transparent Audits: Publish annual reports on fee utilization.
5. Pre-Advertisement Scrutiny: Ensure legal and procedural clarity before notifications.
Hope Must Not Be Taxed
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar warned that political democracy requires social democracy at its core. By taxing aspiration, JKSSB undermines this principle, turning hope into humiliation. The youth must rise—not with violence, but with petitions and protests—to demand fairness. If the state continues to exploit its educated unemployed, it risks not just their trust but the future of Jammu & Kashmir. Let hope be a right, not a receipt.
(Note:Mohmad Husain Lone, a Jammu & Kashmir-based political analyst and columnist, writes on governance and youth issues, advocating for justice. Contact: husainamin13@gmail.com.)
