By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Jammu: For the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, the process of getting education can be a challenge; given the state’s political situation. However, even if they manage to do that, the high unemployment rate in the state. In 2012, as this story in Greater Kashmir shows, the state had more than 6 lakh unemployed youth. The situation is no different now, and the state continues to have the highest unemployment rate in North India.
A large part of this unemployment rate can be attributed to the lackadaisical workings of the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB), which is the premier government recruitment agency in the state.
The Board has gained notoriety for keeping aspirants in limbo, as most of the entrance exams are either never conducted on time, or postponed for months on end. And even if the exams do take place on time, the results are declared sometimes after a year.
And this is not even the case for one or two posts, as Twocircles.net found out.
Take the case of 509 posts for Naib Tehsildar under state cadre, advertised by board earlier in 2015. More than 30,000 candidates had applied for the same, but the board is yet to conduct the entrance exam.
“I had applied for the post of naib tehsildar last year but more than one and a half year, they are yet to conduct the entrance exam. I had put in a lot of efforts to prepare for the entrance, but all went in vain. It is excruciating,” said Rozi Khatoon, one of the job seekers from Doda district.
Another youth, Tanveer Ahmed from Banihal, a law graduate, had applied for the post of Patwari advertised by JKSSB, but the service selection board is yet to conduct the exam.
“JKSSB has been always in the mess. But I was quite optimistic after PDP came to power because they had promised fast track recruitment for government jobs. Is this their fast track recruitment?” he says.
“I am 28 years old and if they keep delaying the exam dates like over one year I can become ineligible because there is an age limit to appear in the exams,” he adds.
Liaqat Ali, a resident of Gujjar Nagar Jammu, had applied for post of sub inspector (finance) last year. The service selection board had notified last year that entrance will be conducted in December, 2015 but were later postponed and they are yet to conduct the same.
“On one side, government expects that everything becomes normal in the state and youth become part of the mainstream and on the other side by keeping aspiring youths in limbo for years they snatch from them having a chance of good and normal life,” says Liaqat.
In December, 2015 the JKSSB conducted a screening test of over 59,000 job aspirants at over 1,000 centres located all over the state, but that time the board failed to manage the centers properly as cheating and use of mobile phone internet came to fore.
Meanwhile, attempts to reach Chairman JKSSB, Sarita Chauhan for her comments proved to be futile as repeated calls remained unanswered.
Since the taking over of PDP-BJP over the reins of the state, thousands of vacancies have been advertised to be filled on fast track basis, but after a year and half, the recruitment process is running on a snail pace, jeopardizing the future of thousands of the job aspirants.