On Sunday, the Jammu and Kashmir administration conducted the constable recruitment examination.
The Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Recruitment Board ( JKSSRB) had received over 5.5 lakh applications to fill a total of 4002 police constable positions.
The staggering number of candidates competing for a limited number of vacancies, announced after an 8-year hiatus, lays bare the grim unemployment scenario in the region.
According to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) recorded the nation’s highest overall unemployment rate at 11. 8 per cent. Among individuals aged between 15 to 32, the unemployment rate stands at 32 per cent, while it has reached a staggering 53.6 per cent among females in the region.
In the first quarter of 2024, the Directorate of Employment (DoE) in J&K registered 3.52 lakh youth as unemployed. Of these, 1.09 lakh hold graduate or postgraduate degrees, making up 31 per cent of the total unemployment figure.
In the absence of a robust industrial sector, the unemployed youth usually rely on government jobs as their primary means of livelihood. The long-drawn-out unrest and political instability in the region have further intensified this reliance, driving more youth to seek employment in the government sector.
Additionally, the new reservation policy has worsened the situation further. On March 15, 2024, the J&K administration led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha introduced amendments to the Jammu Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005.
The amended rules granted an additional 10 per cent reservation to four communities—Paharis, Paddaris, Kolis and Gadda Brahmins— by classifying them as Scheduled Tribes (STs), thereby increasing their total reservation to 20 per cent. The OBC quota was also enhanced from existing 4 per cent to 8 per cent, taking the total reservations to 60 per cent, in contrast to the 69 per cent of the population categorised ‘general’ as per 2011 census.
Anger among youth
“On one hand we are grappling with ballooning unemployment, while on the other, the new reservation policy has restricted the chances for general category candidates”, said Sajad Ahmad, a job aspirant from Srinagar.
Like Ahmad, many general category job aspirants expressed their frustration over the new reservation policy.
“We are not against the reservation, but oppose unfair and inequitable treatment”, said Zakir Ahmad, who has been preparing for State civil services.
While a knot of aspirants filed a petition challenging the amendments to the reservation policy in the Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh High Court on November 29, the National Conference government constituted a cabinet sub-committee to review the amendments.