Panel on quota to submit report in 6 months: CM Omar

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, CM Omar Abdullah said on Saturday. The decision came after Abdullah 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.

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 per cent in J&K.

Earlier in the day, the Jammu and Kashmir government informed the assembly that no deadline had been set for the three-member sub-committee 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 had been granted to the panel to review the existing policy.

Among other details, Itoo revealed that a total of 5,39,306 Scheduled Tribe population — 4,59,493 in Jammu division and 79,813 in Kashmir division — had obtained ST certificates in the last two years effective from April 2023, while 67,112 certificates had been issued to Scheduled Caste population of Jammu region during the same period. The cabinet sub-committee headed by Itoo with ministers Satish Sharma and Javed Rana as its members was constituted in December last year.