Jammu/Srinagar, Dec 10: Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday accorded sanction to the formation of a three-member cabinet subcommittee to look into grievances against the present reservation policy in the union territory.
The sanction for the formation of the sub-committee was given through an order issued by the General Administration Department.
According to the order, ministers Sakina Masood Itoo, Satish Sharma, and Javed Rana will be the members of the subcommittee.
The subcommittee will submit its report to the Council of Ministers headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The chief minister last month said the Cabinet sub-committee will be constituted to engage with all stakeholders on the issue of reservation in government jobs.
“A lot is being said about reservation. Our youth, especially those belonging to the open category, think they not getting their rights, but some have been brought into the reservation ambit who do not want any reduction in their rights.
“So, the Cabinet has decided to form a sub-committee, which will include three ministers, and the Cabinet has asked them to take a holistic view of the issue,” he added.
Reservations have become a major issue in J-K following the Central government’s decision to add more communities to the reserved category and expand quotas in the UT over the past five years.
There are increasing objections to the Centre’s move to push the reservation quota to 70 percent in Jammu and Kashmir.
This follows recent announcements to introduce a separate 10 percent reservation for Paharis and other tribes and an enhancement of the OBC (Other Backward Classes) quota to 8 percent.
In its maiden cabinet meeting in Jammu last month, the government formed a panel of ministers led by Health and Education Minister Sakeena Itoo to review the J&K Reservation Policy in the face of mounting anger among open merit aspirants.
The procedure in the union territory mandates that cabinet notes have to be sent for a nod by the LG Sinha. The approval has come almost more than two weeks later now, allowing the Omar Abdullah-led government some relief.
The issue has become one of the priorities for the Omar-led government amid mounting pressure from the aspirants and political opponents in the region. The ruling National Conference had pledged to review the policy in their manifesto as the general category felt their opportunities were squeezed by the inclusion of more groups.
The total population of J&K as per the last census in 2011 stands at 1.25 crore). Of them, Scheduled Tribes comprise 14,93,299, about 11.90 percent of the total population while Scheduled Castes are 9,24,991 in population, comprising about 7.37 percent.
Notified in March 2024, the quotas now include 10 percent to Social Castes, 20 percent to Scheduled Tribes, 10 percent to Residents of Backward Areas, 8 percent to Other Backward Classes, 4 percent to residents along Actual Line of Control and International Border and while Economically weaker sections stand at 10 percent.
The proportion that has left the general category aspirants scrambling for their rights falls between 30-40 percent, depending on the recruiting department.
However, officials and legal experts said the rules would not allow the J&K government to alter the changes in the policy and can only recommend their suggestions to the central government. The amendment, according to them, has to be passed by the Parliament.