Aspirants seek relaxation in upper age limit for PCS exams at par with other states
Srinagar, Oct 6: Aspirants of the Jammu and Kashmir Provincial Civil Services (PCS) examination have urged the government to enhance the upper age limit for candidates, bringing it at par with other states across the country.
A group of aggrieved aspirants told Greater Kashmir that while most states in India have fixed the upper age limit for PCS exams at 40 years for Open Merit candidates and proportionately higher for reserved categories, Jammu and Kashmir continues to restrict eligibility to 32 years — a policy they termed unfair and discriminatory.
“This is extremely unjust, especially when J&K continues to have one of the highest unemployment rates in the country,” the aspirants said. They argued that the restrictive age bar deprives thousands of qualified youth of opportunities available to their counterparts elsewhere in India.
The aspirants said the current rule not only limits their chances in state-level civil services but also discourages those preparing for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams, which have the same upper age limit of 32 years.
“After crossing 32, candidates from J&K are left with neither the option of UPSC nor the State PCS. This will ultimately reduce our representation in national and state services,” one aspirant said.
The candidates have demanded that the government raise the upper age limit for JKAS aspirants to 40 years for Open Merit, similar to states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, where the age limit is already set at that level. They also pointed out that Uttarakhand and Haryana allow candidates up to 42 years of age to appear in their state PCS examinations.
“The examination for JKAS should follow the same guidelines and rules governing other state civil services. The age relaxation must be implemented once and for all,” the aspirants said.
They appealed to the Lieutenant Governor of J&K and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to personally intervene and ensure that J&K youth are given an equal and fair opportunity to compete for prestigious administrative posts.
