No Deadline for J&K Cabinet Sub-Committee on Reservation Policy Review: Govt
Jammu, March 15 – The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday informed the Legislative Assembly that no specific timeline has been set for the three-member Cabinet Sub-Committee formed to review grievances against the existing reservation policy in the Union Territory.
The information was provided by Social Welfare Minister Sakeena Itoo in a written response to a starred question by Peoples Conference legislator Sajad Gani Lone in the House. The sub-committee, headed by Itoo, with ministers Satish Sharma and Javed Rana as members, was constituted in December 2024 to examine concerns raised regarding reservation rules. The panel will submit its report to the Council of Ministers, led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, but without a fixed deadline.
Rising Concerns Over Expanding Reservation Quotas
The issue of reservation has gained significant traction in J&K following the Central government’s decision to expand the quota system and include more communities under the reserved category in the past five years. The move to push the reservation quota to 70% has sparked growing objections across different sections of society.
Minister Itoo clarified that the Cabinet Sub-Committee was established under Government Order No. 2061-JKGAD of 2024, dated December 10, 2024, to assess grievances raised by job aspirants regarding reservation rules. In response to Lone’s query about whether the committee had been given a six-month timeframe for its review, Itoo confirmed that no such timeline had been fixed.
Reservation Data in J&K
Providing official figures, Itoo revealed that in the last two years (from April 2023), the government has issued:
- 5,39,306 Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates – 4,59,493 in Jammu division and 79,813 in Kashmir division.
- 67,112 Scheduled Caste (SC) certificates in the Jammu region.
- 27,420 Economically Weaker Section (EWS) certificates in Jammu and 2,273 in Kashmir.
Villages Benefiting from Reservation Categories
The minister also highlighted the number of villages benefiting under different reservation categories:
- Reserved Backward Area (RBA): 1,379 villages in Jammu and 1,229 in Kashmir.
- International Border (IB) Category: 551 villages in Jammu.
- Actual Line of Control (ALC) Category: 268 villages in Jammu and 16 in Kashmir.
With no fixed deadline for the Cabinet Sub-Committee’s report, concerns remain over the future of the reservation policy in J&K. The opposition and various sections of aspirants continue to demand clarity on the issue.
