Srinagar, June 23: The Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet is scheduled to meet in Srinagar on Tuesday after a gap of nearly one-and-a-half months, with the government’s response to the Centre’s queries on the reservation report expected to dominate the agenda.
The meeting, to be chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at the Civil Secretariat, is likely to focus on the reply prepared by the Social Welfare Department (SWD) to questions raised by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) regarding the reservation report drafted by the Cabinet Sub-Committee (CSC).
According to official sources, the SWD has completed a detailed review of the MHA’s observations and finalized its response. Once approved by the Cabinet, the reply will be sent to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who is expected to forward it to the Union Home Ministry for further consideration.
The MHA had sought clarification on the data and methodology used by the Cabinet Sub-Committee while recommending a reduction in the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) reservation from 10% to 3% and the Resident of Backward Areas (RBA) quota from 10% to 7%.
The Cabinet Sub-Committee, headed by Social Welfare Minister Sakeena Itoo, had recommended increasing the Open Merit quota by reducing reservation in select categories. The proposal aims to raise Open Merit representation to 40% in jobs and 50% in educational admissions under the vertical reservation system.
While several departments have submitted proposals related to development projects and administrative matters, sources said the reservation issue is expected to receive top priority during the Cabinet meeting.
