Srinagar, Mar 16: The Administrative Council,which met here under Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, has today approved several amendments proposed by the Social Welfare Department regarding the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules of 2005.
These changes are in response to recent legislative developments, including the Jammu & Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Act of 2023, the Constitution (Jammu & Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order (Amendment) Act of 2024, and the Constitution (Jammu & Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Act of 2024. These decisions also incorporate the recommendations of the Jammu and Kashmir Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission, established by Government Order No. 2030-JK (LD) of 2020.
Rajeev RaiBhatnagar, Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor; AtalDulloo, Chief Secretary, J&K; Mandeep Kumar Bhandari, Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor attended the meeting.
One significant amendment involves the inclusion of four new tribes, namely the Pahari Ethnic Group, Paddari Tribe, Kolis, and Gadda Brahmins, in the Scheduled Tribes order applicable to Jammu and Kashmir. Consequently, the Administrative Council has sanctioned a 10% reservation for these newly added tribes, bringing the overall reservation for Scheduled Tribes to 20%. To ensure equitable distribution, both previously notified and newly added tribes will receive an equal and separate 10% reservation each.
Additionally, the Administrative Council has approved the inclusion of 15 new castes in the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) category, along with an increase in reservation for OBCs to 8%. This decision addresses the longstanding demand of the OBC community in the Union Territory. Moreover, changes in the nomenclature and synonymy of certain castes have been endorsed in line with recommendations from the SEBC Commission.
Furthermore, the term “physically challenged persons” or “handicapped” will be replaced with “Persons with Disabilities” throughout the rules, aligning with the provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act of 2016.
These amendments aim to address the protracted demands of marginalized communities for adequate representation in government jobs and professional courses, which they have been historically deprived of due to social, educational, and economic backwardness.
