JAMMU, Dec 8: Term of the jammu and Kashmir Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission is unlikely to be extended beyond December 17 leaving question mark on 10 percent reservation being granted to Resident of Backward Areas (RBA) as it was the final task assigned to the Panel.
Headed by Retired High Court Judge Justice GD Sharma, the Panel comprised Rup Lal Bharti and Munir Khan, Retired IFS and IPS officers and was constituted in March 2020. Work on granting reservations to Pahari Ethnic Tribe, Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and some other categories was done by the Commission.
Official sources told the Excelsior that another extension for the Commission is now unlikely beyond December 17 when its last extended three-month term will expire. The Commission was now engaged in meeting stakeholders for taking call on reservation under RBA category
The Commission was set up in March 2020 on the directions of the Central Government.
The National Conference had announced review of the existing reservations policy in its election manifesto as well as after formation of the Government. It has announced that it will set up a Cabinet Sub Committee to review reservations.
Present reservations have crossed 60 percent leaving general category in distress.
As per the sources, the Commission was working on review of 10 percent reservations in RBA category by meeting stakeholders across the Union Territory. There were reports that in the past the politicians got their villages included as RBA to get benefits of reservations.
Reservations under RBA category in Jammu and Kashmir was whopping 20 percent which was subsequently brought down to 10 percent and there were demands from certain quarters for further review of RBA quota as there was no RBA category in other States and Union Territories across the country.
“Excepting Jammu and Kashmir RBA category doesn’t exist in any of the States or the Union Territories in the country. Even at the national level, there is no such category for reservation,” the sources said, adding that granting 10 percent reservation under this category has faced lot of criticism especially at a time when reservations have reached 60 percent leaving just 40 percent vacancies in the Open Merit category.
The Commission was to take a decision on retaining or excluding villages from the RBA list after meeting stakeholders.
“Areas which as per the parameters would have gained facilities were to be removed from the list of RBA while the villages which are yet to gain requisite facilities would have continued in the category,” the officials said and added that if the Commission is not granted further extension the task will remain unfulfilled and RBA will continue to enjoy 10 percent reservations.
The Commission had also received a large number of representations from the people across Jammu and Kashmir for inclusion of their villages under RBA category.
Inclusion of Pahari Ethnic tribe, Paddari tribe, Koli & Gadda Brahmins in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category was also recommended by the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission.
After the Government raised reservation under Scheduled Tribes (ST) category to 20 and granted eight percent quota to Other Backward Classes (OBCs), the reservation in Open Merit category has come down to 40 percent. However, if horizontal reservation for Ex-Servicemen (6 percent) and Persons with Disabilities (4 percent) is taken into account, the Open Merit vacancies further come down.
While STs already had 10 percent reservation, the Government granted another 10 percent reservation to Pahari Ethnic Tribe, Paddari Tribe, Koli & Gadda Brahmans taking total reservation under ST category to 20 percent. Previous four percent reservations under Other Social Castes (OSCs) was abolished and eight percent reservation was given to the OBCs. Besides, there is eight percent reservation to Scheduled Castes (SCs), 10 percent to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), four percent to the people living on International Border/Line of Control and 10 percent to RBA
