Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, Feb 9: The Jammu and Kashmir Government today said that the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) and the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) together collected Rs. 48.88 crore as application fees during the last two financial years.
In a written reply to PDP MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para, the Government said that in 2023-24, JKPSC realised Rs. 7,39,69,400, while JKSSB collected Rs. 7,09,83,950. In 2024-25, collections rose sharply, with JKPSC realising Rs.10,50,68,700 and JKSSB collecting Rs.23,88,17,600.
Overall, JKPSC accumulated Rs. 17, 90, 38,100 and JKSSB Rs. 30,98,01,550 during the two-year period, taking the combined total to Rs. 48,88,39,650, the reply said.
On recruitment after the implementation of the revised reservation policy in March 2024, the Government said the JKSSB has not made any selection against posts advertised under the new policy so far. “JKSSB has issued various advertisement notifications after the issuance of the new reservation policy; however, the same are at examination level, document-verification level or selection level, and are yet to be finalised,” the reply said.
The reply further clarified that JKPSC makes selections only against UT-cadre gazetted posts, and not against division- or district-cadre posts.
As per details, JKPSC has advertised 1733 posts across various departments since March 2024, including General Administration, Health and Medical Education, Home, Law, School Education, Skill Development, and allied departments. The posts include medical officers, assistant professors in various disciplines, civil judges (junior division), veterinary assistant surgeons, and gazetted faculty positions in institutions such as SKIMS Soura and GMC Anantnag and Baramulla.
According to details, JKSSB has advertised posts such as 71 Veterinary Assistant Surgeons, 22 Lecturers (10+2) in Kashmiri, 32 Lecturers (10+2) in Dogri, 41 Lecturers (10+2) in Statistics, and 51 Lecturers (10+2) in Punjabi, among others.
Replying to a separate question by MLA Mubarak Gull, the Government said that Jammu and Kashmir’s overall unemployment rate stands at 6.7%, significantly higher than the national average of 3.5%.
Quoting data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the Labour and Employment Department said unemployment in the Union Territory has remained elevated in recent years, particularly among people aged 15 years and above.
The Government also cited findings of a baseline survey conducted in January 2025 under Mission YUVA, in collaboration with district administrations, which covered 64.8 lakh individuals in the 18-60 age group across J&K. Of these, about 4.73 lakh people reported that they were “not working but willing to work”.
The House was informed that to tackle unemployment, the Government has adopted a strategy focused on entrepreneurship, skill development and institutional reforms, with the aim of turning youth into job creators rather than job seekers.
Mission YUVA has emerged as the flagship initiative under this approach. According to the reply, more than 1.71 lakh youth have registered on the Mission YUVA platform, generating around 70,000 formal enterprise applications.
Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for nearly 52,875 applicants have been prepared through Small Business Development Units, while 47,816 applications have been examined and approved at the district level by Deputy Commissioners.
So far, 16,141 applications have completed the full cycle and received bank sanctions amounting to nearly Rs. 1,000 crore, with over Rs. 700 crore already disbursed. The Government said these sanctions have translated into thousands of enterprises being established across the Union Territory.
The reply added that 7,339 entrepreneurs have completed training, while another 5,000 are currently undergoing capacity-building programmes.
Clarifying concerns over delays, the Government said bank appraisal is an independent statutory process carried out as per RBI norms. Around 9,500 applications were returned mainly due to adverse credit history, existing liabilities or documentation gaps. Of the remaining applications with banks, about 15,000 are at an advanced stage and are expected to be sanctioned by March 31, 2026, while around 22,000 more are likely to be cleared progressively over the next few months.
The Government said it has also formulated a policy and roadmap under the Labour and Employment Department to create employment opportunities for educated unemployed youth, with Mission YUVA positioned as the centrepiece of this strategy.
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