“We are not against reserved category candidates, but privileges to one class should not be at the cost of another class”
K Koushal
Literally pushing candidates of the General Category at the verge of extinction, recent notification of Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) has further aggravated their agony by providing mere 9.5 percent space to unreserved candidates on the post of Assistant Professor.
As per the notification No 15-PSC (DR-P) of 2021, Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission intended to fill up the posts of Assistant Professor in Higher Education Department, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir under 1st and 2nd special drive respectively.
“Applications through online mode are invited from the applicants, who are domiciled in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir possessing the prescribed academic/professional qualification and age for the post of Assistant Professor,” reads the notification.
The notification also detailed post wise breakup, which provided for a total of 136 posts of various subjects. However, maximum number of posts is allotted to RBA category with 45 seats, followed by Scheduled Caste (27), Actual Line of Control (26) and Scheduled Tribe (25), whereas the Unreserved Category has only 13 posts, which are also open to competition for reserved categories.
Talking to The Typewriter, score of aggrieved applicants stated that this is probably the gift of abrogation of Article 370, wherein General Category has been reduced to micro minority.
“How far this notification is justified, wherein unreserved category has only 9.5 percent of seats that too open for the competition with other reserved category seats,” said applicants, adding that they are not against the reserved category applicants, as it is their right, but the problem lies with the policy makers, who had absolutely annihilated the General Category.
They said that any reserved category applicant can infringe upon open seats, but General category applicant cannot compete on reserved seats.
“See the travesty of policy making. Any candidate under reserved category can compete with unreserved category candidates, but it cannot be reversed,” said applicants, adding that 13 seats out of 136, that too not exclusive is a joke with the candidates of general category.
They said that they are not only punished for being unreserved on allocation of posts, but are also the one who has to pay the maximum amount of fees to even appear in such processes.
“When the requisite application fee for reserved categories is Rs 500, the fees of unreserved category is Rs 1000,” said aggrieved applicants, adding that reservations should be pertaining to the financial relaxation and to the maximum in age, but here successive governments have ‘ignored’ candidates of the General Category by putting all burden on them.
They said while age limit for General Category candidates is 40 years, the same for RBA/SC/ST is 43, thus providing them all avenues.
“We are not against reserved category candidates, but privileges to one class should not be at the cost of another class,” said applicants, adding that the government and policy makers must come up with such a plan that general category candidates get their due share without any compromise with the merit.
Talking to The Typewriter, Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission, Mushtaq Ahmed said that these are backlog vacancies.
“These are backlog vacancies. Such vacancies cannot be lapsed instantly and require at least three notifications to fill it,” said Secretary, adding that this notification shall be followed by another notification, if some posts again remain unfilled.
When asked how a reserved category crossed 50 percent margin, Secretary said in backlog cases such margins are excluded.
