Cabinet sub-committee on reservation rules meets in Jammu, examines grievances

Jammu, Jan 22 (PTI) The cabinet sub-committee on reservation rules convened its meeting here on Wednesday and examined the grievances and issues raised by sections of aspirants and students regarding different aspects of existing reservation policy, an official said.

The cabinet sub-committee, which met under the chairpersonship of Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education Sakeena Itoo, also discussed the existing reservation policy and evaluated several aspects of it, an official spokesperson said.

He said Minister for Jal Shakti, Forest, Ecology & Environment and Tribal Affairs, Javed Ahmad Rana (member of sub-committee); Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Sanjeev Verma; Secretary Law, Achal Sethi and representatives from General Administration Department also participated in the meeting.

On December 10 last year, the cabinet sub-committee was constituted by the government to look into grievances projected by several sections of aspirants against the existing reservation policy in the Union territory.

The sub-committee will submit its report to the council of ministers headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

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 per cent in J&K.

This follows recent announcements to introduce a separate 10 per cent reservation for Paharis and other tribes and an enhancement of the OBC quota to eight per cent.