J&K cabinet meeting tomorrow, major changes in reservation policy likely

Jammu, Dec 2 The Jammu and Kashmir cabinet headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will be meeting here on Wednesday to take some important decisions, including changes in the job reservation policy.

Official sources said the chief minister has called the meeting at 9 a.m. at the civil secretariat in the winter capital Jammu, where major decisions, including an increase in the open merit quota in government jobs and professional institutions, are likely to be taken.

”To amend the Reservation Rules to rationalise quotas in certain categories, especially Residents of Backward Areas (RBA) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), to accommodate the proposed hike in Open Merit quota by capping the EWS quota at a maximum of 10 per cent, will be announced. Reservations under the RBA quota, once as high as 20 per cent, have already been reduced to 10 per cent amid concerns that influential individuals benefited disproportionately from this quota. The Government needs to cut around 10 per cent from various categories, excluding those mandated by Parliament like SC, ST, and OBC, to enhance Open Merit to 40 per cent," the officials said.

“At present, reservation in J&K stands at 70 per cent. The highest share, 20 per cent, goes to Scheduled Tribes (10 per cent each to Gujjar-Bakerwal and Pahari Ethnic Tribes), followed by 10 per cent each for RBA and EWS, eight per cent for OBC, eight per cent for SC, and four per cent for ALC/IB residents. Horizontal reservation of 10 per cent is provided to ex-servicemen and Persons with Disabilities," the officials added.

The Cabinet Sub-Committee (CSC) on Reservation was constituted on December 10, 2024. It submitted its recommendations on June 10, 2025, followed by scrutiny from the State Law Department.

“These recommendations are now expected to come up for final decision in tomorrow’s Cabinet meeting. All decisions of the Cabinet will ultimately require approval from the Lieutenant Governor,” the official sources said.

CM Omar Abdullah has said that the cabinet would address the issue of rationalising job reservations in its next meeting. “A cabinet meeting will be held. We were constrained by the fact that I did not want anybody to sabotage this by going to the Election Commission because of the code of conduct. Now that the code of conduct is over, the elections are over, the concerned minister will present the memo in the next cabinet meeting, and we will discuss it then,” he said.

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