Jammu: The recruitment process for just 75 posts of naib tehsildar in Jammu and Kashmir has turned into a major revenue generator for the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB), which collected over ₹6.43 crore in application fees from aspirants, according to information obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) query.
Each form was priced at ₹600 for general and ₹500 for reserved categories, indicating that more than one lakh aspirants had applied for the posts. However, the deferment of the recruitment process last month has left these candidates in uncertainty, RTI activist Raman Kumar Sharma said.
“The sheer scale of the response, over one lakh candidates vying for just 75 posts, speaks volumes about the deepening unemployment crisis. It reflects the desperation of educated youth who, despite degrees and qualifications, are left with few opportunities,” Sharma told PTI.
In its reply to the RTI application, JKSSB confirmed that a total of ₹6,43,28,400 was collected as application fees for the naib tehsildar posts advertised in the revenue department on June 9. While refusing to disclose the category-wise number of applications until the completion of the selection process, the board acknowledged the overall revenue earned from fees.
The recruitment process was deferred by JKSSB on July 14 after the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Jammu, stayed the controversial “Urdu-only” qualification clause. Thousands of aspirants, many from economically weaker backgrounds, now face the dual blow of delayed recruitment and loss of application money, as there is no refund policy for fees deposited.
The “Urdu clause” had triggered a political storm across the Jammu region, with the BJP strongly opposing the rule, calling it discriminatory. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, however, defended the provision, saying Urdu has always been the language of revenue records in J&K. “How will a staff member in the revenue department work if he or she does not know Urdu? Even before Independence, revenue records were in Urdu,” Abdullah said, adding that newly appointed officers could be given time to learn the language basics.
Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti criticized the CAT order, alleging that the judiciary was being influenced by “divisive politics.” She said, “Urdu, a recognised official language for decades, is now being unfairly communalised. Our records and administrative work are maintained in Urdu, and it is logical for applicants for the post of naib tehsildar to have basic proficiency in the language. This requirement is purely administrative, not divisive.”
The future of the recruitment process remains uncertain, with aspirants awaiting further directions from the JKSSB. [KNT]
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