Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that the file regarding rationalisation of the reservation policy, as recommended by the cabinet, has been sent for approval to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha.
Talking to reporters here, Omar Abdullah said: “We hope he will approve it and the order will be issued thereafter.”
The rationalised reservation policy was cleared by the cabinet
In its meeting, the J&K cabinet cleared the new reservation policy for Jammu and Kashmir based on recommendations of the Cabinet Sub-Committee (CSC) and forwarded it to L-G Sinha for approval.
Top sources said the revised policy has recommended cutting the EWS quota by 7 per cent and the RBA (Residents of Backward Areas) quota by 3 per cent, reducing them to three and seven per cent, respectively.
“Open merit jobs and seats may go up directly to 40 per cent and 50 per cent in vertical reservation, as against the present 30, as the Cabinet has approved cuts in reservation in the RBA and EWS categories.
“Exclusion of Ladakh, which was once part of Jammu and Kashmir, has been cited as one of the reasons for reducing the RBA quota. Now EWS quota will come down to 3 per cent and the RBA to 7 if the cabinet proposal is approved by the LG,” a source said.
Reservations, including EWS, had gone up to 70 per cent in J&K, leaving only 30 per cent jobs and seats for open merit candidates, resulting in strong resentment among them. “In the reserved policy, Open Merit jobs and seats will be a minimum of 40 per cent in direct Open Merit quota and 50 per cent in vertical reservation quota,” the same source said.
RBA quota was 20 per cent at one time in J&K, and subsequently brought down to 10.
There were allegations that politicians and local officers got their villages included in the RBA category to avail reservation benefits for their kin.
Currently, the ST-I, ST-II, RBA, and EWS categories each have 10 per cent reservation, while the Scheduled Castes and OBCs each have 8 per cent quota, and the ALC/IB category has 4 per cent reservation.
Besides, there is a 10 per cent horizontal reservation, including 6 per cent to ex-servicemen and four per cent to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).
On December 10, 2024, the Cabinet set up the sub-committee, which submitted its report exactly after six months, i.e. June 10, 2025. The Cabinet then sought advice from the Law Department and finalised the report accordingly.
