28/08/2025
Kashmiri speaking population has been an underprivileged and deprived population for at least a century. Partition, decades of conflict and chaos has deprived Kashmiris further.
Yet the reservation policy which is meant to uplift the underprivileged is discriminatory toward Kashmiris.
The populations of two regions in J&K are not uniform in anything. A uniform reservation policy for the 2 regions makes sure that Kashmiris are deprived of any reservation benefits.
Earlier, reservation policy in J&K was framed largely on the basis of geographical area and economic deprivation unlike the central reservation based largely on cast discrimination.
In last 5 years, several new categories have been added and they've been awarding them a whooping 10% quota without considering the left out proportion for open merit.
The situation is that, currently reservation extends to 65-70%, leaving under 30% in open merit.
However the misery does not end with 65-70% reservations, to add to the woes, more than 85% of reservation benefits Jammu division and Kashmir division gets less than 15% reservations. Kashmiri speaking population would be getting much lesser benefit.
Recent data has revealed that 100% SC, and more than 90% ST, OBC, EWS categories benefit Jammu. RBA is the only category where Kashmiris get a fair share, however, not only has RBA been slashed from 20 to 10%, it has also been downgraded from 2nd prefence. That's to say, if there are only 2 posts/seats in a department, 1 will go to OM, other will go to SC. This we've seen recently in SKIMS recruitment notification, SC gets more than 20%, RBA gets less than 5% seats. The newly added 10% EWS can not benefit most Kashmiris because of the housing criteria — an average Kashmiri will get himself into lifetime debt of millions but will ensure a big 2 story house.
Many Kashmiri speaking people who can't even afford a basic private school because of poverty are not getting any benefit under any category while as riches from Jammu division whose kids are admitted into most elite schools, have flats in Delhi, are driving 4×4 fancy cars are able to secure prime GMCs with half the marks compared to the poor Kashmiri street vendor's son.
Leave alone the statehood that would be granted by centre whenever they feel or article (which won't be restored ever) if the present elected Omar Abdullah lead NC government wants do any favour to Kashmiri speaking population, it'd be to rationalise reservation and to reduce the deprivation of Kashmiris — at least 50% cap to begin with.
Unfortunately, the response so far has been lethargic and of delay tactics.
Facing pressure from protesting general candidates, OA govt constituted a sub-committee of 3 ministers, however members were reservation beneficiaries.
There is a false perception among
Kashmiris and perhaps among MLAs who are from backward areas including Health & Education Minister cm sub-committee member
that RBA is a beneficial category, however that's not the case post 2019 amendments, truth is that, RBA is less deprived population than general population rather than any beneficial category except in some selected scenarios like NEETPG last year where all categories were treated as one. To make it understandable how RBA is also a deprived population, a category is beneficial if one gets a seat by getting a rank beyond total number of seats. If there are total 100 seats, you would be able to get a seat in OM only if your rank is upto 30, if you have a rank of 35, you'd be dropped. With RBA, you'd be able to secure a seat roughly upto rank 40, if you've a rank of 50, you won't get the seat despite 100 seats. On the other hand, rest of the categories would be able to secure same seats with a rank beyond 100, sometimes with as low as 500 or 1000.
Therefore, Kashmiri MLAs from backward areas who might have apprehensions that increasing OM quota might affect their vote bank should know that increasing OM quota will benefit RBA too. RBA is immediately next to OM in ranking, increasing OM quota to at least 50% would mean that OM would be eligible for a at least 45% seats & RBA would be eligible for 55% seats compared to existing 30% and 40% respectively.
Over to JK Govt for action.
