Waiting for Promised Waiver

Election commitments ignored as young applicants in J&K continue to face financial barriers to government jobs.

- Ummar Jamal

In its election manifesto, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference made a big promise to job seekers.

It said it would remove application fees for recruitment exams conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board, the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission, and other hiring bodies.

The promise mattered to thousands of young people across Jammu and Kashmir. It spoke to the tough financial reality of job seekers in a region with high unemployment, few private sector jobs, and deep economic stress.

But more than a year after the government took office, the promise is still unmet.

The gap between promise and action became clear in October 2025, when Sajad Gani Lone, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference, asked the government in the legislature about the status of the fee waiver.

The reply was blunt.

The government admitted it had not implemented the waiver and said it had no plans to do so anytime soon.

It also revealed that it had collected about 31 crore in application fees since taking office.

This figure is not a routine administrative detail. The 31 crore came from young men and women already under heavy financial, social, and emotional strain as they search for stable jobs.