Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 6: Raising the issue of disparity in admission to the medical and dental colleges including the professional institutions located in Jammu and Kashmir between Jammu province and Kashmir Valley, BJP MLA from Kathua, Rajiv Jasrotia, today said that Singhal Committee recommendations are only solution to end conflict between two regions.
The MLA said that there is general thinking among people of Jammu Province that Jammu and Kashmir Competent Authority, which has been conducting entrance test for admission to medical and engineering courses since 1987, is fundamentally Kashmir-centric and biased against them.
Jasrotia suggested and demanded implementation of the recommendations of the 1999 Singhal Committee, which was set up by State Government on April 7, 1998, to meet the demand of the agitating student community in Jammu.
He reminded House that the three-member committee, which was headed by RP Singhal, former Chairman of Central Board of Secondary Education, had in its January 13, 1999 report, candidly acknowledged that the Jammu youth never got its due share in the State’s professional and technical institutions and Kashmiri youth got preferential and differential treatment.
The MLA further said that to end the regional disparity, all the seats available in the professional colleges, located in Kashmir, should be made the sole preserve of Kashmiri youth and all the seats available in the Jammu-based professional and technical colleges should be made the sole preserve of the Jammu youth.
Jasrotia recommended that existing practice for admission to Polytechnic courses where one Common Entrance Test is held by the Competent Authority for both the Divisions (Jammu Division and Kashmir Division), but the selection list is declared separately for the two divisions, the Competent Authority may hold one Common Entrance Test for the two divisions for Medical and Engineering courses, but the selection lists may be separately issued for the two divisions.
The seats in Jammu colleges (Medical as well as Engineering) should be earmarked for candidates belonging to Jammu region and those in Kashmir colleges be earmarked for candidates belonging to Kashmir region. A certain number of seats may be reserved in each of the University (Jammu University as well as Kashmir University) for Ladakh region in proportion to its population”, he added.
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