70 pc quota leaves Gen Category high & dry
*STs have highest 20 pc; RBA, EWS 10 pc each
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 10: A Cabinet Sub-Committee (CSC) constituted by Omar Abdullah Government to examine issue of reservation in Jammu and Kashmir following uproar by general category candidates that hardly 30 percents posts have been left for them with rest being reserved in different categories, has kept the deadline of six months and finalized its report today.
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The report will be submitted to the Cabinet whenever it meets in Srinagar to discuss findings and take a decision.
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The CSC comprised 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 and was set up on December 10, 2024 following uproar not only by the general category candidates, their Associations but also by National Conference Lok Sabha Member from Srinagar Aga Ruhullah Mehdi.
The Committee was given six months time by Omar Abdullah Government to finalize its recommendations and submit them to the Government. The Panel has kept its deadline and finalized report today when it completed six months.
In a post on X, Sakina Ittoo wrote: “The Cabinet Sub-Committee constituted by the Jammu and Kashmir Government to examine the issue of reservations in the Union Territory has drafted its report within the stipulated timeframe of 6 months. The report will be placed before the Cabinet when it meets”.
However, the Committee members were not ready to speak on their report saying it has to be placed before the Cabinet first.
With the Centre granting reservation to Pahari-speaking people in the UT, the open merit category has been reduced to just 30 per cent while rest of the posts in the Government Departments as well as educational institutions (wherever the reservation is applicable) have been reserved for the categories.
There is 70 percent reservation in Jammu and Kashmir with 10 percent being horizontal.
The highest 20 percent reservation has been given to Scheduled Tribes (STs) in Jammu and Kashmir including 10 percent each to Gujjars and Bakerwals and Pahari Ethnic Tribes, 10 percent to Resident of Backward Areas, 10 percent to Economically Weaker Sections, eight percent to Other Backward Classes, eight percent to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and four percent to Residents of areas adjoining Line of Actual Control (ALC)/International Border (IB).
Besides, there is 10 percent horizontal reservation including six percent to Ex-Servicemen and four percent to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).
Further, some candidates from the reserved category, who get selected in general category, can also opt for jobs or seats in open category.
Students, especially those undergoing training in Medicine and Surgery, had also carried out protests against this policy, saying it promotes mediocrity where merit should reign supreme.
There was no reservation to OBCs till a year back and only four percent reservation was given under the category Other Social Castes (OSCs). However, the BJP-led Central Government fulfilled long-pending demand of the OBCs for reservation and passed a law in the Parliament after which they got eight percent reservation.
Also, there was 20 percent reservation under Resident of Backward Areas category which has been reduced to 10 percent. There were allegations that influential persons got their villages included in the RBA category to avail benefits of reservation for their kin.
Justice (Retd) GD Sharma Commission comprising Rup Lal Bharti and Munir Khan was working on this aspect but its extended term came to an end in December last year.
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