Panel examining quota system given 6 months to submit report: Omar

STATE TIMES NEWS

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet sub-committee formed last year to look into grievances against the current reservation policy in the Union Territory will submit its report in six months, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Saturday.
The decision came after Abdullah met a “concerned group of job aspirants”.
Abdullah said in a post on X, “The Cabinet sub-committee constituted to examine the complicated issue of reservations in recruitment has been given a six-month timeline to complete their report. This timeline was set by me after I met with a concerned group of job aspirants.”
“This timeline, however, was not in the initial order setting up the sub-committee. That oversight will be corrected but, rest-assured, the committee is working to complete its task in the set timeframe,” he added.
Reservation has become a major issue in Jammu and Kashmir following the Centre’s decision to add more communities to the reserved category and expand quotas in the Union Territory during the past five years.
There are increasing objections to the Centre’s move to push reservation to 70 per cent in Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier in the day, the Jammu and Kashmir government informed the assembly that no deadline had been set for the three-member sub-committee to submit its report.
Social Welfare Minister Sakeena Itoo shared the information in a written response to a starred question by People’s Conference MLA Sajad Gani Lone, who had asked if a six-month deadline had been granted to the panel to review the existing policy.
The Cabinet sub-committee, headed by Itoo and including ministers Satish Sharma and Javed Rana, was constituted in December.
Reacting to the minister’s response, Lone highlighted “stark regional imbalances” in issuing reservation certificates in Jammu and Kashmir and alleged the entire concept of reservation in the Union Territory was “rigged” against Kashmir.
He cited the data he received in response to his question in the assembly to claim that the Jammu region dominated certificate issuances in nearly all categories from April 1, 2023.
Reservation has become a major issue in Jammu and Kashmir following the Centre’s decision to add more communities to the reserved category and expand quotas in the Union Territory during the past five years.
There are increasing objections to the Centre’s move to push reservation to 70 per cent in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The Cabinet sub-committee stands constituted to examine the grievances projected by a section of aspirants for various posts regarding reservation rules. However, no specific timeline has been fixed for submitting the report,” Itoo said in the House.
She said 5,39,306 (5.39 lakh) people from Scheduled Tribes (STs) — 4,59,493 (4.59 lakh) in Jammu division and 79,813 in Kashmir division — had obtained certificates since April 1, 2023.
During the same period, 67,112 Scheduled Caste (SC) certificates have been issued in the Jammu region.
The minister said 1,379 villages in Jammu and 1,229 in Kashmir had benefited under the Reserved Backward Area while 551 villages of the Jammu zone benefited under the International Border category.
Similarly, 268 villages in Jammu and 16 in Kashmir have benefited under the Actual Line of Control category.
The government has issued 27,420 certificates to people from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in the Jammu division and 2,273 certificates in the Kashmir valley since April 1, 2023, the minister said.