J-K reservation system ‘rigged against Kashmiri-speakers’: Sajad Lone
In the EWS category, Lone said 27,430 certificates were issued in the Jammu region as against just 2,273, or 8%, in Kashmir. (PTI Photo)
Amid the controversy over reservations in Jammu and Kashmir government jobs, People’s Conference president Sajad Lone has said there is “stark regional imbalance” in reservation certificates being issued.
Giving details of the answer he got to a question raised in the Assembly, Lone said the system is “rigged against the Kahsmiri-speaking population” and against Schedule Tribes (ST) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in the Kashmir region.
“I had posed some questions pertaining to reservations. These questions were mostly focused on regional disparities across all categories,” Lone said.
He pointed out that 67,112 reservation certificates were issued in the last two years under the Schedule Caste (SC) category, and that all of them were issued in the Jammu region. He also said 4,59,493 reservation certificates were issued for the ST category in Jammu, but in the Kashmir region, only 79,813 such certificates were issued. This means 85% of the ST reservation went to the Jammu region, he pointed out.
In the EWS category, Lone said 27,430 certificates were issued in the Jammu region as against just 2,273, or 8%, in Kashmir.
In the reservation category for people living on the Actual Line of Control (ALC), 268 certificates were issued in the Jammu region and 16 in Kashmir. Lone also mentioned that all 551 certificates issued for reservation of people living on the International Border belong to the Jammu region. Incidentally, Kashmir doesn’t have any area falling under the International Border.
In the Residents of Backward Area (RBA) category, Lone said the answer to his question in the Assembly revealed that 1,379 RBA certificates have been issued in the Jammu region as against 1,229 in Kashmir, making it a ratio of 53:47.
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“The whole reservation concept is rigged against the Kashmiri speaking population and against ST or EWS (communities) living in Kashmir,” Lone said. “Even the ST population living in Kashmir is a net loser. They make up a meagre 15% of the total applicants from the ST pool,” he said. While there apparently seems little difference in the issuance of RBA certificates, the ratio is skewed when the population of the two regions is considered.
“RBA is almost the same, but when you adjust for population, again it is less,” he said. “Kashmir population is approximately 7% more. And areas under RBA are almost the same proportionately. Yet in number terms, they are behind Jammu.”
There is already a raging debate in J&K over the current reservation policy. With the Centre giving ST status to the Pahari community and the Lt Governor-led administration amending the 2005 reservation rules in J&K, the new reservation policy has been criticised by many as having tipped the balance against the bulk of the population.
After the amendments, the total reservation in J&K has jumped to 70%.
The Omar Abdullah government has already formed a Cabinet sub-committee to look into the grievances over reservations.
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