SRINAGAR: The Cabinet Sub-Committee (CSC) formed by the Omar Abdullah-led government to re-examine Jammu and Kashmir’s controversial reservation policy has completed its report within the stipulated six-month deadline and is set to place its findings before the Cabinet at its next meeting in Srinagar. The move comes amid growing anger among general category candidates who allege that only 30 per cent of seats remain for them under the present system.
Constituted on December 10, 2024, the CSC was tasked with reviewing the implications of expanding reservations, particularly after the inclusion of Pahari-speaking people under the Scheduled Tribe category by the Centre. The committee, comprising Education Minister Sakina Itoo, Forest and Irrigation Minister Javed Rana, and Youth Services and CAPD Minister Satish Sharma, has maintained silence on the content of its report but confirmed its readiness.
“The Cabinet Sub-Committee constituted to examine the issue of reservations in the Union Territory has drafted its report within the stipulated timeframe of six months,” Sakina Itoo posted on X. “The report will be placed before the Cabinet when it meets.”
The current reservation structure in Jammu and Kashmir allocates 70 per cent of available government posts and seats in educational institutions to various reserved categories. The largest share—20 per cent—goes to Scheduled Tribes, including 10 per cent each to Gujjars and Bakerwals and Pahari Ethnic Tribes. This is followed by 10 per cent for Residents of Backward Areas, 10 per cent for Economically Weaker Sections, eight per cent each for Other Backward Classes and Scheduled Castes, and four per cent for residents living along the Line of Actual Control or International Border. Additionally, a 10 per cent horizontal reservation covers six per cent for ex-servicemen and four per cent for persons with disabilities.
As the general category finds itself squeezed into a narrow 30 per cent margin, students, particularly those from the medical and engineering streams, have staged protests, arguing that the current policy undermines merit and encourages mediocrity in competitive selections.
PDP youth leader Waheed Para sharply criticised the government’s handling of the issue, questioning the delay in publishing the committee’s findings. “Students are demanding answers, not delays. Why hold back the Cabinet committee report on merit?” Para asked in a social media post. He went on to accuse the government of systematically “punishing” merit in a region already grappling with unemployment, conflict and uncertainty.
The Cabinet Sub-Committee constituted to examine the issue of reservations has drafted its report within the stipulated timeframe of 6 months. The report will be placed before the Cabinet when it meets.
— Sakina Itoo (@sakinaitoo) June 10, 2025
“Jammu and Kashmir is the only region in the country where youth are punished for being meritorious,” he wrote. “Let merit lead.”
National Conference MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, who had earlier pressed for the panel’s formation, echoed these concerns and said he would meet a delegation of student representatives and reservation rights activists at 10:30 AM today. “There is a clear call for rationalisation of the reservation regime,” he said, calling for a transparent and fair resolution to the crisis.
The issue has a longer history. Until recently, there was no formal reservation for OBCs in Jammu and Kashmir—only a limited four per cent under the category of Other Social Castes. This changed after the BJP-led government in Delhi passed legislation last year extending eight per cent reservation to OBCs. On the other hand, the quota for Residents of Backward Areas was slashed from 20 per cent to 10 per cent following allegations that influential families had used political leverage to have their villages included in the RBA category.
