Paharis get 4 pc reservation for first time
*Recruitment Policy next by UT Govt
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 30: The Union Territory Government today announced new Reservation Policy for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir in jobs, Post Graduate Professional Institutions and Professional Institutions and was in the process of giving final touch to the Recruitment Policy, which was also expected to be unveiled shortly.
While framing the Reservation Policy, the Government has taken care of almost all sections of under-privileged society.
After Jammu and Kashmir was formally declared a Union Territory on October 31, Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu had announced that the Government was working on new Reservation and Recruitment Policies for the UT and they will be announced soon.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Reservation Policy was released today and the Government was in the process of framing the Recruitment Policy, which will also be announced shortly. The Recruitment Policy will be aimed at giving jobs to the youth not only in Government but in private sector as well.
An official spokesman said that the Reservation Policy was approved by the Administrative Council in its meeting held here yesterday under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant Governor.
All three categories i.e. Recruitment, Post Graduate Professional Institutions and Professional Institutions have different percentage in reservation.
For the first time, Paharis will get four percent reservation in the Government jobs. Though three percent reservation for Paharis had been approved last year, it was not implemented so far. However, to pave way for 10 percent reservation to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), the Government had cut reservation for Resident of Backward Areas (RBA) from 20 percent to 10 percent.
Reservation of Other Social Castes (OSCs) has been raised from two percent to four percent. The OSCs since long have been demanding 27 percent reservation at par with the Centre.
Reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) remained static at eight and 10 percent respectively while reservation for the people living along Line of Control (LoC) has gone up from three to four percent but residents of International Border (IB) have been clubbed with them i.e. four percent reservation will now be available to the people living along IB/LoC. The IB is spread over three districts of Jammu region including Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts.
For jobs, the Horizontal Reservation of six percent has been granted to Ex-Servicemen and four percent to Physically Challenged Persons. Horizontal reservation for Physically Challenged Persons was earlier three percent.
Horizontal reservation will be given to Ex-Serviceman and Physically Challenged Persons in the categories they belonged.
In IB/LoC category, the people living along the International Border in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts were given reservation last year only while those living along the LoC were getting it for a long time. In new Reservation Policy, the IB/LoC people will be together entitled to four percent reservation.
For admission in Professional Institutions, eight percent reservation will be granted to SCs, 10 percent to STs, four percent each to OSCs, Paharis and IB/ALC people and 10 percent each to EWS and RBA while four percent Horizontal reservation will be given to Physically Challenged persons.
For Post Graduate courses in MD/MS/M Tech, Engineering and Agricultural Sciences and similar other courses, the revised distribution of seats will be 8 percent to SCs, 10 percent each to STs, EWS and RBA, 4 percent each to ALC/IB, Other Social Castes and Paharis, two percent to Children of Defence Personnel/Para-military forces and J&K Police Personnel and one percent to candidates possessing outstanding proficiency in sports.
For claiming the benefit of reservation under Paharis category, a person must be a member of the Pahari Clan, Community or Tribe having distinct cultural, ethnic and linguistic identity; must be speaking Pahari language and his/her mother tongue should also be Pahari. He/she must possess a valid identity proof which can be either Aadhaar Card or Domicile Certificate. Tehsildar will be the competent authority to certify the claim of persons belonging to Pahari Speaking People, a Government spokesman said.
He said the Administrative Council has directed the Social Welfare Department to redraw the reservation roster upon fixation of the new percentages.
The decision will not only help to rationalize the reservations across Jammu and Kashmir but will also give equitable representation to the people of Pahari Community thereby meeting their long pending demand.
The spokesman said there are around 9.6 lakh Pahari Speaking People across Jammu and Kashmir spread over mainly in Rajouri, Poonch, Baramulla (Uri and Boniyar), Kupwara (Karnah and Keran) and pockets of Anantnag, Budgam, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian districts.
“Following re-organization of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh and enactment of the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Act, 2004, it had become imperative to rationalize the existing reservation percentages to give representation to Paharis. For the purpose, necessary amendment has been approved in the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005 to include Paharis in the reservation category.
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