Sets Up 3-Member Ministerial Panel To Examine Apprehension By Aspirants
Jammu/Srinagar: The government on Tuesday formed three-member cabinet sub committee 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 sub committee.
The sub committee 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 there are also those who 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.
The government order comes amid rising demands to review the new reservation policy in Jammu and Kashmir by aspirants. On Monday medical students from Srinagar’s Government Medical College (GMC) staged a protest against the reduction of open merit seats.
For several weeks, students and aspirants have been urging a review of the new policy, arguing that the reduction in the open merit quota is disastrous for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir.
The GMC students demanded the reversal of the recent changes in the reservation policy. They also called for the abolition of Rule 17, which allows double allocation of seats to candidates from reserved categories.
According to the students, the open merit quota, which constituted 75 per cent of postgraduate seats under SRO 49 of 2018, has now been reduced to approximately 27 per cent.
The protesters carried placards with slogans such as “Justice for OM Doctors,” “Bring Back SRO 49,” and “Abolish Rule 17.” They claimed that the new reservation policy is severely affecting their careers. According to the 2011 census, around 69 per cent of Jammu and Kashmir’s population belongs to the general category.
The recent amendments to the Jammu and Kashmir reservation policy have been challenged in the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, with multiple petitions filed. Recently a division bench of the High Court scheduled a hearing on the matter for December 27 and stated, “Any appointment made under the pursuant SO under challenge shall be subject to the outcome of the petition.”
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti recently wrote on X, “Jammu and Kashmir’s youth, who comprise 65% of the population and have survived years of violence and protests, now face a new challenge in fighting for merit and justice in admission processes. The recent NEET PG results crisis has exacerbated the uncertainty, leaving their futures in limbo.”