Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 31: The Government today categorically ruled out denying reservations to Scheduled Castes anvalley, where there was no population of SCs saying Jammu and Kashmir belongs to all citizens of the State and no one can be debarred under Jammu and Kashmir Constitution from extending benefits of 8 per cent reservation to SCs in any district.
The Legislative Assembly after brief debate and reply by two Ministers including Rural Development Minister Abdul Haq Khan and Social Welfare and Forest Minister Bali Bhagat rejected the private member’s bill moved by Independent MLA from Langate Engineer Abdul Rashid, which proposed that since there were no SCs in the Kashmir Valley they shouldn’t be given benefits of 8 per cent reservation in district and divisional cadre posts there.
As Haq Khan opposed the bill, Rashid reminded him that he along with his party MLAs had protested in the Assembly and gave call for Kupwara bandh when reservation to SCs and STs was extended in all districts of the State.
The bill proposed that there should be no reservation to SC/STs, where they had no population. Further, it said, there should be one time promotion to SC/STs and not promotions after promotions.
Responding to the bill, Social Welfare and Forests Minister Bali Bhagat said Jammu and Kashmir belongs to all citizens of the State.
“As per Jammu and Kashmir Constitutions, 8 per cent reservation has been extended to SCs in the entire State and not the districts or the area, where they reside,’’ he said, adding population wise reservation to the SCs is not feasible as there can be 40 per cent population of SCs in Jammu or any other district but that doesn’t mean that they will get 40 per cent reservation in jobs in that district.
“Reservation to SC/STs has been implemented in entire country. Jammu and Kashmir can’t be an exception. The previous Government had taken a good step by implementing reservation to SC/STs in all districts of the State. That decision can’t be revoked,’’ Bhagat said.
Rashid was, however, of the view that reservation to SC/STs should be confined to only those areas, where they live and not the Kashmir Valley or any other areas of the State, where they have zero population.
Speaker Kavinder Gupta later asked Engineer Rashid as to whether he was pressing his private member’s bill for introduction in the House or withdrawing it after the Minister’s reply.
Rashid pressed the bill for introduction and the Assembly rejected it by voice vote. Only Rashid votes in favour of the bill.
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