J&K local bodies' OBC commission submits final report

In a significant development, the Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Dedicated Backward Classes Commission has submitted its final recommendations to the government.

The report, which was presented to Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo in the presence of Mohammad Aijaz Asad, Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, is expected to highlight the objectives laid down at the time of the committee’s formation, an official spokesperson said.

The commission, headed by Justice Janak Raj Kotwal, a former judge of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, with former IAS officer RK Bhagat and former dean of the SKUAST-Jammu, Mohinder Singh Badwal as members, was formed to determine reservation quotas for the Other Backward Classes (OBC).

The commission was constituted for the purpose of conducting empirical studies on OBC representation, engaging with stakeholders and recommending proportional reservations in urban and rural local bodies. Currently, the municipal bodies, panchayats and block development councils in Jammu and Kashmir are without elected representatives for more than a year.

During its tenure, the commission analysed records, surveys and census data to determine the OBC population share and their representation in the local bodies’ governance structure.