Examiner Bureau | Srinagar:
Open merit candidates will compete for just 40 per cent of the 1,356 vacancies announced by Jammu and Kashmir Bank, with the remaining 60 per cent reserved for various categories under the Union Territory’s reservation framework. The recruitment exercise has brought the reservation structure into sharp focus, as a majority of the advertised posts will be filled through category-based allocations.
The Bank has notified 323 posts of Probationary Officers (POs) and 1,033 Banking Associates through two recruitment notifications issued on Friday. Both recruitments will be governed by the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005, as amended from time to time, and the reservation structure notified under Government Order S.O. 176 dated March 15, 2024.
Under the prescribed framework, 8 per cent of the vacancies have been earmarked for Scheduled Castes, while Scheduled Tribes will receive a 20 per cent share. The ST quota has been divided equally between existing Scheduled Tribe communities and the groups included through the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Act, 2024.
The existing Scheduled Tribe communities, including Gujjars, Bakarwals, Baltis, Gaddis and other recognised groups, have been allocated 10 per cent reservation. The remaining 10 per cent is meant for Gadda Brahmins, Kolis, the Paddari Tribe and the Pahari Ethnic Group.
The Socially and Educationally Backward Classes have a combined allocation of 22 per cent, comprising 8 per cent for Other Backward Classes, 4 per cent for residents of areas adjoining the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border, and 10 per cent for residents of backward areas.
Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) have been allotted another 10 per cent, taking the total vertical reservation to 60 per cent and leaving 40 per cent of the vacancies for open merit.
An important provision in the notifications clarifies that open merit is not exclusively meant for candidates belonging to the unreserved category. Reserved-category candidates who qualify on their own merit and figure in the General Category selection list will be treated at par with General Category candidates.
Their selection will not be counted against vacancies reserved for their respective categories. This means that meritorious candidates from reserved communities can also secure posts through the open merit list, leaving the reserved quota available for other eligible candidates from those categories.
The notifications also provide for horizontal reservation across vertical categories. For both PO and Banking Associate posts, 4 per cent of the vacancies have been earmarked for persons with benchmark disabilities.
The disability quota has been divided into four groups, with 1 per cent each for blindness and low vision, deafness and hard of hearing, locomotor disabilities, and intellectual and multiple disabilities.
The Banking Associate recruitment carries an additional 6 per cent horizontal reservation for ex-servicemen, a provision that does not figure in the PO reservation table.
The Bank has prescribed category-wise age relaxations. Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates will receive five years of relaxation in the upper age limit, while candidates belonging to OBCs, areas adjoining the LoC and International Border, and backward areas will be entitled to three years.
Persons with benchmark disabilities will receive 10 years of age relaxation. No relaxation has been prescribed for EWS candidates, for whom the maximum age limit of 30 years will apply, as it does for General Category candidates.
For ex-servicemen applying for Banking Associate posts, the age relaxation will be equivalent to the period of service rendered in the Armed Forces, with an additional three years, subject to a maximum age limit of 48 years.
The Bank has also extended specific benefits to candidates who have successfully completed apprenticeship training with it. Such candidates, provided they are domiciles of Jammu and Kashmir, will receive an additional one-year age relaxation over and above the relaxation applicable to their reservation category. They will also be awarded additional marks equivalent to 2.5 per cent of the maximum marks in the Banking Associate online examination.
The notifications prescribe different minimum aggregate qualifying marks for General and reserved-category candidates.
For Probationary Officers, the minimum aggregate qualifying marks in the preliminary examination have been fixed at 40 per cent for General Category candidates and 35 per cent for reserved-category candidates, subject to overall merit.
The Banking Associate notification also sets the minimum aggregate qualifying marks at 40 per cent for General Category candidates and 35 per cent for reserved-category candidates at each stage of the selection process.
The PO recruitment will be conducted in three stages — preliminary examination, mains examination and interview. Candidates up to 10 times the number of vacancies in each category will be shortlisted for the mains examination, while candidates up to three times the vacancies will subsequently be called for interviews.
Selection for Banking Associate posts will be based on an online examination conducted by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS).
The Bank has made it mandatory for candidates to possess valid certificates supporting their respective reserved-category claims on the date of online registration. No change of category will be permitted after submission of the application.
EWS applicants must produce an income and asset certificate valid for the financial year 2026-27. Verification of domicile, educational qualifications, age and category certificates will also be mandatory before appointment.
Both recruitment drives are restricted to domiciles of Jammu and Kashmir. Selected candidates will initially be required to serve in the zone allotted to them for a minimum period of five years, with no transfer outside that zone during the stipulated period.
The online application process for both recruitments will begin on November 7 and close on November 26, 2026. Eligible candidates can submit their applications through the Careers section of the Bank’s official website, jkb.bank.in.
