SRINAGAR, Mar 17: Citing official figures on the Below Poverty Line (BPL) population in the Kashmir Valley, Peoples Conference president Sajad Gani Lone has urged the Government of Jammu and Kashmir to reconsider the asset-based criteria under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category for reservation in jobs and admissions.
In a post on X, Lone said that the BPL population in Kashmir exceeds that of Jammu, yet only one out of nine qualifiers in the EWS category in the recent KAS examination was from the Valley.
“The number of people in the Below Poverty Line category (Antyodaya Anna Yojana + Priority Households) in Kashmir Valley exceeds that in Jammu,” Lone said, citing official figures showing 37.71 lakh people in Kashmir compared to 29.81 lakh in Jammu.
He further said that, in response to his questions in the Assembly, the government revealed that only 7.7% and 8.6% of certificates issued under the EWS category were from Kashmir.
According to him, the issue lies in the criteria used for issuing these certificates.
“While almost the entire BPL population in Kashmir falls within the income criteria for these certificates, the asset-related conditions—especially the size of the residential house and plot—lead to the exclusion of many Kashmiris from the EWS category,” he said.
Highlighting the district-wise BPL population in Kashmir, Lone termed the asset-based criteria a grave injustice to the people of the Valley.
“It is a grave injustice to the people of Kashmir. We have 5.09 lakh BPL people in Srinagar, 5.21 lakh in Kupwara, 5.79 lakh in Baramulla and 5.76 lakh in Anantnag,” he said, adding that EWS certificates could have served as a major confidence-building measure for areas like old city Srinagar, old town Baramulla, Anantnag, Budgam and parts of Sopore.
Lone appealed to the Chief Minister to address the issue urgently, stating that continuing recruitment without correcting the criteria would amount to injustice.
“All reservations are heavily tilted towards Jammu. This particular category is tilted towards Jammu because of government norms, not because Kashmir is rich and Jammu is poor,” he said.
He also questioned why Jammu & Kashmir cannot do away with asset-based norms.
“It is time to study what states like Rajasthan and Kerala have done. If they have removed asset-related conditions, why can’t we?” Lone asked. (Agency)
