Approves 15 new castes in OBCs and enhancement of reservation in favour of OBCs to 8 percent
Srinagar, Mar 15: The Administrative Council Friday approved the proposal of Social Welfare Department to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005.
The government recently added four new tribes Paddari Tribe, Kolis and Gadda Brahmins, to the Scheduled Tribes.
An official statement said Administrative Council approved amendment to Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005 in light of Jammu & Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Act, 2023 dated 15.12.2023, Constitution (Jammu & Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order (Amendment) Act, 2024, Constitution (Jammu & Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Act, 2024 and recommendations of Jammu and Kashmir Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission.
In light of addition of four new tribes i.e. Pahari Ethnic Group, Paddari Tribe, Kolis and Gadda Brahmins, to the Scheduled Tribes Order as applicable to the J&K by the Parliament, the Administrative Council approved 10% reservation in favour of newly added tribes taking the overall reservation for STs to 20%. In order to ensure that both already notified and now newly added tribes get benefits of reservation equally and separately, the AC approved an equal and separate percentage of reservation for them i.e. 10% each.
The AC also approved the addition of 15 new castes in OBCs and enhancement of reservation in favour of OBCs to 8%, which will meet the long pending demand of the OBC category in the UT. It also approved change in nomenclature and synonymy of some castes as recommend by the SEBC Commission.
Approval was also accorded to replace the term physically challenged persons or handicapped wherever appearing in the rules with the term Persons with Disabilities in conformity with the provisions of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
The statement said, the amendments shall fulfill the long pending demands of these communities regarding their right to adequate representation in government jobs and professional courses, which they stood hitherto deprived of, due to their social, educational and economical backwardness.
