Asif Iqbal Naik
Jammu, Feb 9, 2026: The Jammu and Kashmir Government on Monday informed the Legislative Assembly that the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) and the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) together collected over ₹48 crore as application fee during the last two financial years, even as the Union Territory continues to face a serious unemployment crisis.
In a written reply to a question raised by PDP MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para, the government shared year-wise details of the amount realized by the two recruitment agencies.
According to the reply, during the financial year 2023–24, JKPSC collected ₹7.39 crore, while JKSSB realized ₹7.09 crore as application fee from job aspirants.
In the financial year 2024–25, the collections saw a sharp increase, with JKPSC collecting ₹10.50 crore, whereas JKSSB realized a significantly higher amount of ₹23.88 crore through application fees.
Overall, the government said JKPSC collected a total of ₹17.90 crore, while JKSSB collected ₹30.98 crore over the two financial years.
At the same time, independent data collectors revealed from time to time that Jammu and Kashmir has more than 18 lakh unemployed youths, while less than 5 lakh job seekers are registered with government employment exchanges, reflecting that a large section of unemployed youth remains outside the official registration system.
The figures underline the intense competition for limited government jobs and raise serious concerns about the financial burden on unemployed youth, who continue to pay repeated application fees in the hope of securing employment.
