Jammu: Not divulging the details, Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said the government has “rationalised the reservation policy in the best possible manner” to ensure justice to all communities and fulfil a key election promise.
He declined to disclose details, stating that the proposal has been sent to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for approval and it would be inappropriate to comment further until the file receives his consent.
Speaking to the reporters after chairing the first cabinet meeting held in Jammu following the resumption of the traditional darbar move, Abdullah said, “There were 22 agenda items, including the reservation policy. The issue was taken up, but before signing the minutes and sending the file to the LG, it would be inappropriate to discuss anything publicly. I will only say that we have tried to rationalise it as promised, without being unfair to anyone.”
Omar Abdullah acknowledged the sensitivity of the subject, stressing that the government adopted a transparent and detailed approach. He said the cabinet sub-committee, constituted on December 10 last year to address concerns raised by aspirants, submitted its report in October, followed by a review by the law department.
“The issue is such that it is very easy to politicise. Every point was discussed more than once. This is the third or fourth time the matter came to the cabinet. We have done our best,” he said.
Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, convened here on Wednesday morning approved several key departmental proposals, including promotions in the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department and the creation of the Animal Protection Board, officials said.
The meeting began at 9 am at the Chief Minister’s Jammu residence and focused on a range of governance and development issues, senior officials noted. Matters related to electricity supply, reservation policies and preparations for the winter season were also taken up during the deliberations.
One of the major approvals granted by the Cabinet was a proposal concerning promotions and service-related matters of officer cadres in the R&B Department. After detailed discussions, the government cleared the seniority confirmation and related service issues. The Cabinet also sanctioned financial support aimed at strengthening cooperative societies in the livestock and fisheries sectors.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Minister Javed Rana said the session cleared several important agenda items, with an emphasis on resolving long-pending administrative matters.
“There were some minor issues discussed, but the primary agenda centred on the promotion and service proposals of R&B officers. Their seniority confirmation has now been approved,” Rana said, adding that the decisions would help streamline departmental functioning in the coming months.
Meanwhile, the opposition parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday accused the government of “engaging in theatrics” and “passing the buck” on the issue of rationalisation of reservation.
The criticism came in the wake of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s statement earlier on Wednesday that his government has rationalised the reservation policy in the “best possible manner” to ensure justice to all sections and fulfill a key poll promise.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and People’s Conference hit out at the government over the issue.
“No rationalisation of reservation or age relaxation despite being promised as NC’s manifesto guarantees and verbal assurances. Instead, the NC government is engaging in theatrics by playing pass the parcel and blaming both to absolve itself of any responsibility. No wonder youth across J&K are in utter distress and despair. Shameful,” PDP leader Iltija Mufti said on X.
People’s Conference chief Sajad Gani Lone said the elected government “is passing on the buck”, and “trying to create a wedge in the Kashmiri ranks, and pit one Kashmiri against the other”.
“The elected government can easily restore district and divisional recruitment through an act in the assembly. Please, can someone enlighten me? What are the disadvantages of district and divisional recruitment? Why are we not restoring them?” he said in a post on X.
The Handwara MLA said in a developing economy, as is ours, public sector jobs get spread across all regions and bring in regional inclusivity in jobs.
“Reservations get restricted to only those reserved categories that are domiciled in the district or division. That will bring open merit in the Kashmir division to 70 to 80 percent.
“Instead, if what has been stated so far and what has not been contradicted by the elected government so far, is true, the only reserved category where Kashmiris benefited, the RBA (Resident of Backward Area), will be slashed,” he said.
The People’s Conference chief said he fails to understand how that helps Kashmir.
“If we define the basic reservation problem, it would mean the systematic exclusion of Kashmiris in the recruitment process. You are yet again doing the same. But only changing the excluded Kashmiri. So if a Kashmiri named A was earlier excluded, you have substituted it with a Kashmiri called B,” he said.
The problem, Lone said, lies between Jammu and Kashmir with the “dice loaded heavily in favour of Jammu”.
“And between Jammu and Kashmir, the ratio will remain unchanged. 80 percent reservations will still go to Jammu. Please take a pen and paper and do some calculations. The data is available in the answer that was provided by the government in response to my question on reservations,” he added.
Reservations has become a major issue in Jammu and Kashmir following the central government’s decision to add more communities to the reserved category and expand quotas in the union territory (UT) over the past five years.
On December 10 last year, the government constituted a Cabinet sub-committee to look into grievances raised by various sections of aspirants against the existing reservation policy in the UT. The sub-committee forwarded its report in October, and accordingly, the report and its review by the Law department were completed.
The matter was taken up at the meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday in Jammu. The government has now sent the proposal to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for approval.
