Double Fee, Double Betrayal – In 2027, Himachal’s Youth Will Give Congress a Fitting Reply: Shrey Awasthi

Shahpur (Himachal Pradesh):
State Coordinator of the Himachal Pradesh Unemployed Youth Federation, Shrey Awasthi, has slammed the Himachal Pradesh Staff Selection Commission (HPRCA) for imposing what he called a “blatant injustice” on unemployed youth through an unprecedented hike in recruitment fees.

Awasthi revealed that the application fee for the newly announced JBT recruitment has been raised to ₹800 for all categories — a shocking increase from the TGT recruitment in May 2025, where the fee was ₹400 for the general category and ₹325 for SC/ST candidates. “How can ₹400 suddenly become ₹800 in just two months? This is nothing short of a deliberate attempt to exploit the unemployed,” he said.

He further questioned why the HPRCA is refusing to give fee relaxation to reserved categories when national-level examination bodies like UPSC, HPPSC, IBPS and SSC all provide such concessions. “If the biggest and most respected recruitment agencies in India can ensure fee relaxation for SC, ST and OBC candidates, then why is the HPRCA hell-bent on denying the same in Himachal? This exposes the anti-youth and anti-poor mindset of the Congress government,” he remarked.

Accusing the Congress government and its agencies of arbitrarily burdening the common man, Awasthi added, “Today, whether it’s a government service or a recruitment exam, application fees have multiplied several times compared to the past. Meanwhile, every department is facing severe staff shortages, yet the government is taking no concrete steps to fill vacant posts. On the contrary, for the few recruitments that are announced, they have hiked fees to such an extent that it is demoralising job-seekers.”

Issuing a direct warning to the ruling party, he declared, “If this fee hike is not rolled back immediately and if the government fails to take the youth’s future seriously, then in 2027, every young voter in Himachal will stand united to ensure Congress faces a strong and unforgiving backlash — both on the streets and at the ballot box.”