J&K orders addition of 43 border villages for IB reservation benefits

TNN Bureau. Updated: 2/23/2021 10:34:30 AM Front Page

Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday added 43 more border villages to enable them for availing benefits of reservation to the persons residing in the areas adjoining the International Border (IB) in direct recruitment, professional institutions and post graduate courses.

Among 43 villages, which were in the list of IB reservation, 21 villages are from district Jammu, 17 from district Kathua and 5 from district Samba.

“The 21 villages in Jammu district will cover three Teshils, 17 villages in district Kathua will cover two Teshils while 5 in district Samba will cover two Teshils,” an official said.

He informed that the these villages formally notified for IB reservation benefits today, on account of the directions of LG in the public grievances related Mulaqaat held in December, 2020.

“ In excersie of the powers conferred under clause (iiia) of rule 2 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules 2005 and in amplification to notification S.O-226 of 2020 dated 17th July, 2020, the government, on the recommendations of Divisional Commissioner, Jammu hereby declare that the villages to this notification shall also be the “ Area adjoining to the International Border,” reads the order.

Now the number of villages notified under “Areas adjoining the International Border”, which are eligible for the reservation benefits reached to 551. These include 314 villages of Jammu , 159 of Samba and 78 of Kathua district, comprising a population of lakhs of people, who shall be benefitted of the reservation.

Pertinent to mention that the Union Government had accorded benefits of reservation to the people living along the IB on the analogy of those living along ALC, making amendment in the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act , 2004. The amendment came into force from Ist of March 2019 and the Union Ministry of Law and Justice had notified the same in the Gazette of India on July 9, 2019 as ‘Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment Act) Act 2019’.

Thereafter, in exercise of powers conferred by Section 23 of Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004, the Government vide Notification SRO-518, dated September 2, 2019 made amendments in Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005, which inter alia provided for reservation to the persons residing in the areas adjoining the IB in direct recruitment, professional institutions and post graduate courses, in terms of rule-4, rule 13 and rule 15, respectively, besides authorizing the Government to declare areas as Areas adjoining International Border in terms of section 2(iiia) of the said rules.

State Commission for Backward Classes , vide letter number BCC/IB/2018/901-03, dated 20-09-2018 and SC/BCC/209/202 dated 01-10-2019, had also recommended that the residents of villages falling within the area of 0-6 kms from International Border may be allowed the benefits of reservation under Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules 2005.


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