Reply on data use prepared after over month-long exercise
Many developmental related projects too on agenda
JAMMU, June 23: The UT Cabinet is meeting in Srinagar tomorrow after one and a half months and is scheduled to take up a host of issues but main item on agenda is reply to the Central Government’s queries on reservation report drafted by the Social Welfare Department (SWD). If approved by the Cabinet, the queries will go to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and through him to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Cabinet is scheduled to meet at Civil Secretariat, Srinagar at 12 noon on Tuesday. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will chair the Cabinet meeting.
“Main focus of the Cabinet are the queries raised by the MHA to the reservation report drafted by the Cabinet Sub Committee and response to them by the Social Welfare Department (SWD) which deals with the reservation issues,” the sources said.
The last Cabinet meeting was held in Srinagar on May 8 and tomorrow’s meeting is being conducted exactly after one-and-a-half-month.
“Soon after the MHA returned the reservation report drafted by the CSC raising queries on data used by the Committee to lower reservation in Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category from 10 percent to 3 percent and Resident of Backward Areas Category (RBA) from 10 percent to 7 percent, the Social Welfare Ministry headed by Sakina Itoo on the directions of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah came into action and carried out detailed study of the queries,” the sources said.
They added that the Social Welfare Department’s team has finalized its response to the queries. Accordingly, the agenda item has been submitted to the Cabinet through the General Administration by the SWD, which will be taken up for approval by the Cabinet tomorrow. Following the Cabinet nod, which is expected to be given, the UT Government response to the MHA’s queries will be submitted to the Lieutenant Governor, who is expected to forward it to the MHA after study.
“Other agenda items, though in plenty submitted by different departments, may take backstage at tomorrow’s Cabinet as the UT Government wants to give weightage to the reservation report,” the sources said.
The UT Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had on December 4, 2025 approved the reservation report raising Open Merit jobs and seats directly to 40 percent and 50 percent in vertical reservation. The CSC was headed by SWD, Education and Health and Medical Education Minister Sakeena Itoo and comprised, PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Javed Rana and Transport Minister Satish Sharma.
Besides reducing EWS quota from 10 percent to 3 percent, the CSC had slashed Resident of Backward Areas (RBA) reservation from 10 percent to 7 percent, collectively reducing reservation by 10 percent to raise the Open Merit jobs and seats.
On December 10, 2024, the Cabinet set up the CSC which submitted its report exactly after six months i.e. June 10, 2025. The Cabinet then sought advice of the Law Department and finalized the report accordingly.
The Cabinet approved the report on December 4, 2025 and sent it to the Lieutenant Governor.
The Open Merit jobs and seats may go up directly to 40 per cent and 50 per cent in vertical reservation as against present 30, as per the CSC report.
Reservations including EWS have gone up to 70 per cent in J&K leaving only 30 per cent jobs and seats for Open Merit candidates resulting into strong resentment among them. Currently, the ST-I, ST-II, RBA, and EWS categories each have 10 percent reservation while the Scheduled Castes and OBCs each have 8 percent quota and the ALC/IB category has 4 per cent reservation. Besides, there is 10 per cent horizontal reservation including 6 per cent to Ex-servicemen and four per cent to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).
Sources said the Departments have also submitted a number of agenda items including developmental projects and promotions of some officers. However, it is yet to be seen whether the Government takes up other agenda items or confines the Cabinet to reservation report response, an issue which is being taken very seriously by Omar Abdullah Government.
