Jammu and Kashmir holds a grim distinction in the country, with an unemployment rate of 6.7 per cent — nearly double the national average of 3.5 per cent. According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2024–25, J&K’s urban youth aged 15–29 face an unemployment rate of 32 per cent, compared to the national average of 15.9 per cent. Over 3.52 lakh youth are formally registered as unemployed, including nearly 1.09 lakh graduates and postgraduates — educated, willing, and waiting.

We debate policy endlessly. We announce schemes. We hold summits. Yet we often avoid asking a deeper question: is unemployment in J&K purely a policy failure, or is it also rooted in social conditioning?

The answer lies somewhere uncomfortable — but necessary.

In many middle-class households across the Valley, a familiar expectation shapes ambition: become a doctor or a government officer. The prestige attached to medicine has turned NEET into more than an exam — it is now a societal milestone.

Each year, thousands compete for limited seats. The result is a growing “dropper” culture, where students spend years attempting the same exam, often at the........

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