Query over data used to cut EWS quota from 10 pc to 3 pc
*Open Merit jobs, seats remain confined between 30-40 pc
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 21: Even five and half months after the UT cabinet approved report on Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC) on Reservation, it’s fate remained uncertain amid reports that the MHA wants to ascertain from the Government the data used by it for reducing the quota of Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).
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Social Welfare Minister Sakeena Itoo, whose Ministry deals with the issue of reservation and who also headed three-member CSC on Reservation, declined to comment on the issue when approached by the Excelsior on telephone saying she will speak later on the subject.
Sakeena headed the CSC which comprised two other Ministers.
During budget session of the Legislature, the Government, in response to a query by PDP MLA Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi, stated that the report is pending before the Competent Authority.
The UT Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had on December 4, 2025 approved the report raising Open Merit jobs and seats directly to 40 percent and 50 percent in vertical reservation; and sent the report to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for approval. The LG’s office is reported to have forwarded the report to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Sources, however, revealed that the MHA has raised question on data used by the UT Government to reduce reservation for the EWS from 10 percent to 3 percent.
While there was no word from the Government, the sources said it is in the process of replying to the query. They added that the issue is reported to have been discussed at highest-level by the Government since the reducing reservation to give more weightage to the Open Merit was part of ruling National Conference manifesto and was endorsed after Omar Abdullah came to the power.
National Conference MP from Srinagar Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi had earlier campaigned a lot in support of Open Merit youth and students favouring due share to them.
However, in the absence of any clarity and new reservation rules, the Open Merit jobs and seats in the educational institutions remained confined between 30 to 40 percent.
It may be mentioned here that 10 percent reservation to the EWS was given by the Central Government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Majority of States/UTs have given 10 percent reservation to the EWS category. Therefore, reducing it to just three percent and that too in absence of any data didn’t find any merit by the MHA.
Besides reducing EWS quota from 10 percent to 3 percent, the CSC had slashed Resident of Backward Areas (RBA) reservation from 10 percent to 7 percent, collectively reducing reservation by 10 percent to raise the Open Merit jobs and seats.
On December 10, 2024, the Cabinet set up the CSC which submitted its report exactly after six months i.e. June 10, 2025. The Cabinet then sought advice of the Law Department and finalized the report accordingly. The Cabinet approved the report on December 4, 2025 and sent it to the Lieutenant Governor.
The Open Merit jobs and seats may go up directly to 40 per cent and 50 per cent in vertical reservation as against present 30, if the CSC report is approved.
Reservations including EWS have gone up to 70 per cent in J&K leaving only 30 per cent jobs and seats for Open Merit candidates resulting into strong resentment among them. Currently, the ST-I, ST-II, RBA, and EWS categories each have 10 percent reservation while the Scheduled Castes and OBCs each have 8 percent quota and the ALC/IB category has 4 per cent reservation. Besides, there is 10 per cent horizontal reservation including 6 per cent to Ex-servicemen and four per cent to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).
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