Jammu, Feb. 10 -- The Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday informed the assembly that it has collected Rs.48.88 crore in application fees from job seekers over the past two years. The revenue was generated through examinations conducted by the J&K Public Service Commission (JKPSC) and the J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB). The figures were released in a written response to a query posed by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Pulwama MLA Waheed ur Rehman Para. According to the government's reply, the collection saw a significant spike in the current financial year. In 2023-24, a total of Rs.14.48 crore was collected, with the JKPSC accounting for Rs.7.39 crore and the JKSSB for Rs.7.09 crore. However, in 2024-25, the figures surged as the JKPSC collected over Rs.10 crore and the JKSSB collected over Rs.23 crore. While the boards amassed nearly Rs.50 crore from the youth, the volume of recruitment remained relatively low. The JKSSB advertised about 10,400 posts, while the JKPSC-responsible for gazetted cadres-advertised around 1,750 positions during this two-year window. The disclosure has provided fresh ammunition to the opposition in a region grappling with unemployment. Para termed the National Conference-led administration a "total failure" regarding youth empowerment. He slammed the budget for the new fiscal year, stating it offered no concrete roadmap for the unemployed and failed to address the economic distress of the youth. The deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary informed the legislative assembly that unemployment rate in J&K has remained consistently higher than the national average over the past several years with more than 4.73 lakh individuals aged 18 to 50 years, though willing to work, remaining unemployed in the Union territory. In a written reply to a question by legislator Mubarak Gul, Choudhary said the overall unemployment rate stands at 6.7% in the Union territory, which is significantly higher than the national average of 3.5%. He said the unemployment rate among persons aged 15 years and above in J&K has remained higher than the national average over the last six years. In 2024-25, the unemployment rate in the UT stood at 6.7% against the national average of 3.5%. The rate was 6.1% in 2023-24 compared to India's 3.2%, while in 2022-23 it was 4.4% against the national figure of 3.2%. In 2021-22, unemployment was estimated at 5.2% as against 4.1% nationally, 5.9% in 2020-21 compared to 4.2% for India. In 2019-20, the unemployment rate in J&K stood at 6.7%, significantly higher than the national average of 4.8%....