Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 2: All India Confederation of SC/ST/OBC Organisations today held a protest demonstration at Ambedkar Chowk and demanded that government must bring a real Reservation Amendment Bill-2025 to ensure justice to the marginalized communities.
Talking to media persons during protest, RK Kalsotra, State president of the Confederation, condemned the recent viral draft of the Reservation Bill, calling it a direct attack on the Constitutional reservations. He warned that any dilution of existing reservation policies would lead to widespread protests.
“The current proposal circulating in political circles is aimed at weakening the fundamental rights of SC/ST/OBC communities. We will not tolerate any attempt to undermine the hard-won constitutional provisions of social justice,”he asserted.
The key demands of the Confederation included that there should be an increase in Reservation quota, SC reservation in recruitment and promotions should be raised from 8% to 10%. Further, ST-1 reservation should be increased from 10% to 12%, OBC reservation should be ensured at 27% as per the Mandal Commission.
He demanded ate restoration of reservation in promotions. The government must reinstate reservation in promotions for SC/ST/OBC employees without delay. Age relaxation for SC/ST in employment and education. The five-year age relaxation for SC/ST candidates should be restored, instead of the current three-year concession. He also sought clearing of backlog vacancies of these categories.
He further demanded filling up of SC Member Post in J&K PSC. The post of Scheduled Caste member in the Jammu & Kashmir Public Service Commission (PSC) has remained vacant since December 2022. The government must immediately appoint a representative to ensure fair representation. He claimed to conduct gherao of Assembly if their demands are not addressed.
Prominent among those accompanying included- B L Bhardwaj, Ramesh Sarmal, Ramesh Uttama, Dr Ramesh Kaith, Ch Bansi Lal, KK Fotra” Arif Choudhary, Rashpal, Hurdutt, Shamsher Chand Bhagat and Amar Nath.
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