Jammu/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.
He said the decision came after he 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.
Earlier in the day, the Jammu and Kashmir government informed the assembly that no deadline had been set for the three-member panel 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 was granted to the panel to review the existing policy.
The panel, 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 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 percent 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.
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 percent 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.
Further, 1,379 villages in Jammu and 1,229 in Kashmir 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 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.
Earlier, National Conference Member of Parliament Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi Saturday said there cannot be a bigger political catastrophe than an elected government deceiving its people.
“I hope this line saying “no specific timeline has been fixed for submitting the report” in the reply is some clerical error or some miscommunication between the department and the Chief Minister’s office. @CM_JnK should clarify this,” Mehdi said in a post on X.
The Srinagar Lok Sabha MP said if it was not a clerical error, “it then is a blatant lie and betrayal with the students who raised the issue with their elected government and showed faith and trust in the word and response given to them”.
“There can’t be a political catastrophe bigger than this when an elected government deceives its people,” he said.
Referring to a protest organised by students outside Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s residence in December, which he also joined, Mehdi said he didn’t speak on the matter after the students got the assurance from the CM last time “because I was expecting the government to do its job in the given time as they had assured”.
“But this response has shocked me. I will not sit quiet on this. I will pick the matter from where I left it after the assurance given to the students,” he added.
The influential Shia leader expressed hope the government would give some clarity on the matter and “assures us that this reply is a result of some mistake not a deliberate blatant lie”.
However, later on Saturday evening, CM Abdullah issued a clarification, saying the committee will submit its report in six months.
Following the assurances of the Chief Minister, Mehdi expressed hope that the commitments made to students would be met.
“I appreciate the clarification. This is something that people look for in their elected representatives. Accountability and transparency is something which our people deserve in these challenging times.
“I will take this response as an assurance for the students that the commitments made to them in that meeting to resolve this genuine issue will be met and the Cabinet Sub-committee will do its job within the given timeframe,” the MP said.
