Srinagar- The Jammu and Kashmir government has moved closer to granting age relaxation for job aspirants, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah approving the proposal and sending it to Raj Bhawan for final consent.

National Conference leader and MLA Tanvir Sadiq said the Chief Minister’s Secretariat confirmed that the file has been cleared at the government level and formally forwarded for the Lieutenant Governor’s approval.

With the Chief Minister signing off on the proposal, the final decision now rests with Raj Bhawan. A formal government order is expected once the approval is granted.

The move marks a major relief for thousands of job aspirants and candidates appearing in competitive exams who have been demanding age relaxation due to repeated recruitment delays in recent years.

Recruitment processes in Jammu and Kashmir have suffered multiple setbacks since 2019 because of administrative restructuring, delays in establishing recruitment bodies, changes in service rules and long periods of litigation. Many aspirants crossed the upper age limit during this period without receiving a fair chance to apply.

Demands for relaxation grew stronger over the last two years, with youth groups and political parties arguing that candidates should not suffer for delays beyond their control. After taking office, the Omar Abdullah government had signalled that addressing unemployment and recruitment related issues would be a priority. Approval of the age relaxation proposal is the first major step in that direction.

If cleared by Raj Bhawan, the relaxation will apply across several recruitment categories and is expected to immediately benefit thousands of candidates who had become ineligible due to age limits.