Aspirants selected as Finance Account Assistants (FAA), have hit streets protesting stalling of the list by the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board. Officials suspects there were discrepancies in selection. The move to put the final list on hold has hurt the 972 selectees. The aspirants are staging protests and also want action be taken against officials of Jammu & Kashmir Service Selection Board (JKSSB) for failing to conduct clean exams. “Officials at selection board should be investigated,” said the protestors.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration advertised posts for 972 FAA in November 2020. More than 1.50 lakh aspirants applied and 1.37 wrote the test. The exams were postponed a number of times before they could be conducted in March this year. The administration had released a list of 972 candidate names and even started verification process but then discrepancies were reported in the selection procedures. It has now been put on hold.
A panel of top government officials are investigating the case. As per sources, the probe has been completed and the report has been handed over to government. The decision to scrap or not scrap the list will be decided sooner, an official told News 18. The aspirants who have made it to the list are furious and out on streets across all the region – Jammu, Kashmir, Chenab and Pir Panjal valleys.
Shahid Ali, 27 year old B-Tech passout, Bisma, 32, a qualified dentist and PhD scholar Sajad Teli who had decided taken the exam for the class V jobs that would give them a monthly salary of Rs 29000, were among the protestors.
“I am an engineer but when I saw the advertisement for FAA vacancies, I thought here is an opportunity to seek a job. I bought many books on finance I could lay my hands on and started to prepare even though I had no idea about the subject,” Ali, who lives in Tral south Kashmir told News18.
Ali’s father is a retired government employee and the family is hoping he picks up a job to share some responsibilities. “When our result was declared, I figured I was somewhere in the middle of the list. I was jubilant. I had even made plans how I will contribute to the family but then came the bolt from the blue. The list was put on hold,” he said, adding, “What is our fault?”
Srinagar resident Bisma is furious over why administration is penalising meritorious students and why can’t it remove those only who committed the fraud. “Please identify the frauds and spare the genuine candidates. We have worked hard despite all odds. Why should the deserving suffer,” she questioned.
Bisma is a trained dentist since last six years and has worked in the fledgling private sector. She admits she was paid less and that was the reason she opted to write the FAA test conducted by Jammu and Kashmir State Services Board. “I took a break from my job and focussed on the test and qualified with good score,” she said. He ranked 54th in the list. “Our family lives hand to mouth. We are four sisters – three are unmarried. Our father is a skilled labourer. It is hard for him to run the show. I want to share his burden but only if we are allowed to join duties,” she said.
Scholar Teli has been picked up in the other scheduled caste (OSC) category. He is married with two kids and has to support a family of six including his old parents. Teli says during the pandemic he spared two hours to prepare for the exams. “I was keen to try for a government job. I have a young family and need to support them,” he said. But Teli says since the list has come under a scanner, he fears the list would be quashed. This will be such a bad news for the deserving,” he said.
There are allegations that a number of candidates were selected from a few localities in Jammu region. If the FAA list is axed, it will be the second one to be quashed this month. Earlier, a selection list of Jammu and Kashmir Police sub inspectors was junked after it was suspected some papers were leaked to candidates.
A central agency is probing the case but so far no arrests have been made.
The quashing of JKPSI list and the possibility of FAA list meeting the same fate has courted controversy with political parties taking potshots at the J&K LG Manoj Sinha administration. In the last nine days, selected aspirants are staging a sit in where they urge upon the Sinha administration to endorse the list and fix their postings.
Officials offered no explanation on record to the current imbroglio when reached for comment.
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