As J&K Govt advertises 621 posts, open merit students raise objection

The Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday advertised 621 posts in the Health and Medical Education Department. However, the move has sparked criticism from a group representing open merit students in the Union Territory.

“In line with the vision of the Hon’ble Chief Minister to strengthen healthcare services and boost youth employment, we are pleased to announce the advertisement of 621 posts in the Health & Medical Education Department,” Health Minister Sakina Itoo wrote on X.

According to a notification issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) — the official recruiting body for the UT — 297 of the 621 posts are for open merit candidates, while the remaining positions are reserved for various categories, including Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).

The announcement has drawn sharp criticism from the Open Merit Students Association (OMSA, J&K), which called the move "unjust" and accused the government of ignoring the interests of general category aspirants, particularly when the reservation policy is under review.

The J&K Cabinet recently forwarded the report of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on reservation-related issues to the Law Department for its opinion.

Reacting to the fresh advertisement, OMSA said, “Keeping a mere 297 seats out of 621 for general category candidates is not just unfair, it is an outright denial of equal opportunity. The government has once again proven its bias by sidelining deserving open merit candidates.”

The association questioned the timing of the recruitment process, stating that it undermines the ongoing legal and administrative review of the reservation framework.

“By going ahead with this notification, the government has completely disregarded the legal process and betrayed lakhs of aspirants who are waiting for a rational, data-backed reservation policy,” it said, demanding an immediate rollback of the recruitment advertisement.

In 2024, the Union Territory administration under Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had granted 10% reservation to the Pahari community, which further reduced the number of seats available to open merit candidates.