Jammu, March 30: Peoples Conference President and Handwara MLA Sajad Lone on Monday raised serious concerns in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly over what he described as glaring inconsistencies in defining economic vulnerability across government departments, calling it a “structural flaw” that is affecting fairness in jobs and welfare distribution.
Citing official data, Lone highlighted that the Food Department classifies nearly 39 lakh people in Kashmir and around 27 lakh in Jammu as poor under the BPL and AAY categories. In contrast, the Social Welfare framework paints a sharply different picture, indicating that almost 90% of Jammu’s population falls under the economically weaker category, compared to just 10% in Kashmir.
Calling this contradiction more than a statistical anomaly, Lone described it as a policy failure with real-world consequences. He argued that such inconsistencies are distorting access to the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) quota, particularly in recruitment processes.
Referring to recent selections, including judicial and KAS recruitments, Lone said the scale of disparity is unprecedented. “This is something not seen since 1947,” he remarked, asserting that Kashmir is being systematically disadvantaged due to conflicting definitions of poverty.
“What kind of governance is this,” Lone questioned on the Assembly floor, “where a person is considered poor while receiving rations or subsidies, but suddenly becomes ‘economically ineligible’ when applying for a job?”
He further warned that with around 30,000 government jobs in the pipeline, the current EWS framework could leave Kashmir with only a negligible share—possibly fewer than 100 positions—despite on-ground data indicating otherwise.
Drawing a comparison, Lone noted that BPL figures suggest a more balanced 60:40 distribution in favor of Kashmir. He also cited examples from states like Kerala, which have rationalized EWS criteria by aligning them with existing poverty indicators.
Rejecting the need for a complete legislative overhaul, Lone instead called for administrative coherence. “One government must have one definition,” he asserted, emphasizing that uniformity in policy, rather than expanding legal frameworks, is essential to ensure equity and justice.
His remarks have once again spotlighted the complexities surrounding EWS implementation in Jammu and Kashmir, with growing calls for a unified and transparent framework across departments. (Agency)
