A 16-day hunger strike ending after the Jharkhand government agreed to scrap a controversial recruitment examination may look like the conclusion of a protest. It is not. The more consequential question is whether the government can now restore something far harder to legislate: the confidence of young people in the fairness of the state. The Jharkhand protests began with allegations of irregularities in competitive examinations, but their significance extends well beyond one examination or one state.

For thousands of young Indians, government employment represents security in an economy where stable jobs remain scarce. Years are spent preparing for examinations, often after spending substantial amounts on coaching. When an examination is cancelled, delayed or suspected of being compromised, the loss is not simply administrative. Time, money and expectations disappear with it. That explains why cancelling an examination is not enough. The Hemant Soren government has now agreed to scrap the JSSC-CGL examination, cancel examinations conducted by the private agency TDPL and investigate recruitment examinations dating back to 2014.

It has also promised reforms to the examination system. These are significant concessions.........

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