MLA Para, students demand report to be made public at earliest
WAJAHAT SHABIR
SRINAGAR: The Cabinet Sub-Committee formed to examine the issue of reservations in Jammu & Kashmir has completed its task and finalised the report within the stipulated timeframe of six months.
Education Minister Sakina Itoo announced the development in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter).
In a post, the Minister said, “The Cabinet Sub-Committee constituted to examine the issue of reservations has drafted its report within the stipulated timeframe of six months. The report will be placed before the Cabinet when it meets.”
It is to be noted that the reservation controversy in Jammu and Kashmir escalated after the 2023 amendments to the Reservation Act, which granted Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to communities like Paharis, Padaris, Kolis, and Gadda Brahmins.
While the move was hailed as historic by the government, it triggered intense criticism and protests from students, aspirants, and opposition parties, including Omar Led Government’s own MP Aga Ruhullah protesting outside CM’ residence in Srinagar with thousands of students joining the protest, who accused the government of “killing merit” and sidelining genuinely deserving candidates.
The issue intensified following the NEET-PG 2024 and JKCCE 2023 results, where a significant decline in open merit selections was observed sparking protests across colleges and public platforms. Aspirants argued that the Open Merit quota had been drastically reduced, breaching the 50% ceiling set by the Supreme Court.
A petition was also filed in the J&K High Court, challenging the new reservation structure as unconstitutional. In response, the government constituted a Cabinet Sub-Committee chaired by Education Minister Sakina Itoo. The committee held consultations with stakeholders and was mandated to examine all concerns regarding the revised quota system. The report has now been finalized and is awaiting cabinet review.
Meanwhile referring to the Minister Sakina Itoo’s Tweet, MLA Pulwama Waheed-ur-Rehman Para said, “Students are demanding answers, not delays Sakina Itoo. Why hold back the cabinet committee report on merit? After your govt’s adverse stand on merit in court, intentions not actions are under question. After 6 years of an unelected govt, the least people deserve from this govt is transparency. Make the report public CM Omar Abdullah”.
In another post MLA Para said, Jammu & Kashmir is a conflict-ridden region burdened with decades of trauma, depression and the highest unemployment rate in India. 65% of its population is youth, who are struggling between hopelessness and dreams of a better future.
As a border state with immense strategic importance, our youngsters are not just an opportunity but also a challenge if ignored. Amid fragile peace, terror threats & cross-border skirmishes, the youth of Kashmir have chosen the path of competing on merit. They want to be doctors, engineers, civil servants and builders of a better tomorrow, which is perhaps the best thing that can happen to any nation. Yet, the biggest hurdle to their dreams is not violence but the systematic embargo on merit. The only region in the country where youth are punished for being meritorious is sadly J&K. Reservation is important to uplift the downtrodden, but it cannot in any circumstances come at the cost of merit, and that’s precisely why we’ve been demanding pro-rata rationalisation of reservation referring to CM Omar, he said.
CM Omar sb may not have created this monster of this flawed reservation policy but it was your party, your MLAs, your parliamentarians who promised its correction. With an absolute mandate of 50 seats in a region where 70% depend on merit, what exactly are you waiting for? Which business rule, which statehood, which sub-committee is stopping you? It’s a shame that a party whose founder stood for autonomy cannot even stand for merit today. If we can’t unite for our youth and for the principle of fairness, what future are we talking about? Let merit lead, he said.
Further, the students have also asked the Jammu and Kashmir government to make the report public as soon as possible.
