SRINAGAR: The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has urged Jammu and Kashmir Bank to raise the upper age limit for its ongoing recruitment of Probationary Officers (POs) and Banking Associates from 30 to 40 years, citing the nearly six-year gap in regular recruitment.
In a press statement issued on Thursday, the Chamber said the existing age limit could exclude a large number of otherwise eligible candidates who had crossed the prescribed age while waiting for fresh recruitment opportunities.
Welcoming the bank’s decision to recruit 1,356 candidates, including 323 Probationary Officers and 1,033 Banking Associates, KCCI said the exercise should be made more inclusive in view of the prolonged absence of regular recruitment.
The Chamber argued that candidates should not be made to bear the consequences of recruitment delays, particularly those who had spent years preparing for competitive banking examinations in anticipation of opportunities at the region’s premier financial institution.
It pointed out that the Jammu and Kashmir Government allows an upper age limit of 40 years for Open Merit candidates in recruitment conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB), and said the same should serve as a reasonable benchmark for the bank.
KCCI also highlighted that the upper age limit for Probationary Officer recruitment had been reduced from 32 years in earlier recruitment exercises to 30 years in the latest notification, further restricting the eligibility of aspirants.
The Chamber said raising the age limit to 40 years would allow a wider pool of qualified and experienced candidates to compete on merit and prevent those who had lost valuable years waiting for recruitment from being excluded.
It has appealed to the bank’s Chairman and Managing Director to sympathetically consider the demand and amend the recruitment notification accordingly.
The Chamber has also urged the Jammu and Kashmir Government, as the bank’s majority shareholder, to take up the matter with the bank’s management and facilitate a favourable decision.
KCCI said recruitment after such a prolonged interval should be accompanied by measures ensuring fairness, inclusiveness and equal opportunity, adding that the selection process should focus on identifying the best available talent rather than excluding deserving candidates because of years lost during the recruitment gap.
The demand comes amid the bank’s latest recruitment drive for 1,356 posts in Jammu and Kashmir.
