SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has said certificates for Kumbhar (Potters), Barber (Nai), Teli and Washerman (Dhobi) communities have not been stopped and that all four remain included in the Union Territory-level Other Backward Classes (OBC) list.
The clarification was given by the Social Welfare Department in response to an Un-Starred Assembly Question No. 1/6/302 tabled by Vijay Kumar, MLA from Hiranagar, during the ongoing Assembly session.
The Government said the four communities are included in the UT-level OBC list notified through S.O. 176 of 2024 and are therefore eligible for benefits available to members of the OBC category, subject to fulfilment of the prescribed conditions under the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005, as amended from time to time.
It specifically rejected the claim that the Social Welfare Department had issued an order stopping the issuance of OBC certificates to the four communities.
According to the Government, the issue arose from a discrepancy in the nomenclature used in the Central and Jammu and Kashmir OBC lists. It said the Central OBC list identifies the four castes with the term “Rural”, while the corresponding J&K list does not use the term, resulting in procedural confusion for authorities responsible for issuing certificates.
The department said it had written to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, on September 19, 2023 seeking necessary corrections to ensure uniformity in the names of the communities.
The Government maintained that the correspondence was aimed only at resolving the nomenclature discrepancy and did not amount to deletion or exclusion of the four communities from the OBC category.
It also clarified that no restriction had been imposed on the continued issuance of OBC certificates to members of the Kumbhar, Barber, Teli and Washerman communities.
Responding to the question on whether these communities would receive the same rights and benefits as other OBC groups, the Government said all persons falling within the OBC category are entitled to the benefits provided under the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004 and the rules framed under it.
The Government said it was committed to the development, welfare and socio-economic upliftment of people belonging to the OBC category.
At present, OBCs are provided 8 percent reservation under the applicable rules, the department said.
It added that eligible OBC beneficiaries can also access soft loans through the J&K SC/ST/BC Development Corporation and the J&K Women’s Development Corporation.
The Government said the issuance of category certificates is governed by the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005, with applicants required to meet the prescribed eligibility conditions.
