The formation of the sub-committee was approved by an order from the General Administration Department. The members appointed to the sub-committee are ministers Sakina Masood Itoo, Satish Sharma, and Javed Rana.
This sub-committee is tasked with submitting its findings to the council of ministers, which Chief Minister Omar Abdullah leads. Last month, the Chief Minister noted that a Cabinet sub-committee would be established to engage with all relevant parties regarding the issue of reservation in government employment.
He mentioned that there is significant discourse surrounding reservations, with concerns from youth in the open category feeling they are not receiving their fair share, while others included in the reservation categories are resistant to any reduction of their rights.
Consequently, the Cabinet has decided to create a sub-committee composed of three ministers, who are instructed to examine the issue comprehensively.
Reservations have become a contentious matter in Jammu and Kashmir following the Central government’s recent actions to increase the number of communities eligible for reserved status and enhance quotas in the Union Territory over the last five years.
There are growing concerns regarding the Central government’s proposal to raise the reservation quota to 70 percent in Jammu and Kashmir, alongside recent announcements for a distinct 10 percent reservation for Pahari communities and other tribes, as well as an increase in the OBC (Other Backward Classes) quota to 8 percent.
