SRINAGAR: Sajad Lone, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference and MLA from Handwara, on Monday raised concerns in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly over inconsistencies in defining economic vulnerability across government departments, terming it a structural flaw affecting fairness in welfare and employment distribution.
Speaking in the House, Lone cited official data to highlight disparities, stating that the Food Department identifies around 39 lakh people in Kashmir and 27 lakh in Jammu as poor under BPL and AAY categories. In contrast, he said the Social Welfare framework presents a different picture, classifying nearly 90 per cent of Jammu’s population as economically weak compared to only 10 per cent in Kashmir.
He described the contradiction as a policy failure with significant implications, particularly for recruitment under the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) quota. Referring to recent selections, including judicial and KAS appointments, Lone said such disparities have not been seen since 1947 and argued that the mismatch in definitions is disadvantaging candidates from Kashmir.
Questioning the approach, he said individuals are treated as poor for availing rations or subsidies but are considered ineligible under EWS criteria during job applications, calling it an inconsistency that undermines governance.
Lone also flagged concerns over upcoming recruitment, noting that out of 30,000 proposed jobs, only a limited number may go to candidates from Kashmir under the current EWS framework. He contrasted this with BPL data, which, according to him, would justify a higher share for the region.
Calling for corrective measures, Lone urged the government to adopt a uniform definition of poverty across departments to ensure consistency and fairness. He emphasised that policy coherence, rather than legislative changes, is required to address the issue.
