‘Most of State/UT Govts have implemented this’
*No adequate study, data to justify reduction
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Feb 14: With Cabinet report on reservation now lying with the Union Home Ministry, a seven percent cut in Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) quota to raise Open Merit jobs is reportedly being studied and examined minutely by the Centre as most of the State/UT Governments have implemented this provision with same percentage.
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Official sources told the Excelsior that another major drawback in the Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC) report which recommended 10 percent cut in existing reservation structure to raise Open Merit jobs by an equal percentage is lack of adequate data and study conducted by it on the EWS population in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Majority of States/UTs have given 10 percent reservation to the EWS category. Therefore, reducing it to just three percent is unlikely to find favour especially in the absence of proper study conducted by the CSC and adequate data obtained by the Government,” the sources said.
The CSC recommendation especially the one pertaining to EWS is being studied minutely by the MHA, the sources said
However, slashing reservation for RBA category from 10 percent to seven percent will not be a problem, the sources said, but added that this category also needs review as some areas declared backward long ago may have developed over the period of time, the sources said.
The CSC comprising Minister for Education, Health and Medical Education and Social Welfare Sakina Itoo, Minister for PHE, Irrigation & Flood Control and Forests Javed Rana and Minister for CAPD&FS and Youth Services & Sports Satish Sharma was set up on December 10, 2024 by Omar Abdullah Government and was asked to submit report within six months. The Panel executed its task within the time-frame and submitted report to the Cabinet on June 10, 2025.
The UT Cabinet cleared the CSC recommendations on December 3, 2025 and forwarded them to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for approval. The LG has forwarded recommendations to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
As per the CSC recommendations, the Open Merit jobs and seats may go up directly to 40 per cent and 50 per cent in vertical reservation as against present 30. The UT Cabinet based on CSC report cut EWS reservation by 7 percent and RBA reservation by 3 percent.
As per the CSC recommendations, the EWS quota came down to 3 per cent and RBA to 7 percent.
Reservations including EWS had gone up to 70 per cent in J&K leaving only 30 per cent jobs and seats for Open Merit candidates resulting into strong resentment among them. Sources said the Open Merit jobs and seats will be minimum 40 percent in direct Open Merit quota and 50 percent in vertical reservation quota if the CSC recommendations are approved. However, the things will be clear only after the MHA’s verdict.
RBA quota was 20 percent at one time in J&K which was subsequently brought down to 10. There were allegations that politicians and local officers got their villages included in the RBA category to avail reservation benefits for their kin.
Currently, the ST-I, ST-II, RBA, and EWS categories each have 10 percent reservation while the Scheduled Castes and OBCs each have 8 percent quota and the ALC/IB category has 4 per cent reservation. Besides, there is 10 per cent horizontal reservation including 6 per cent to Ex-servicemen and four per cent to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).
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