Levelling The Playing Field? Union Cabinet Approves Extending EWS Quota, SC/ST Reservation In Promotions To J&K

Union Finance Minister stated at a press conference that the cabinet yesterday (28 February) had passed an order for extending the 10 per cent quota for persons belonging to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) to Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), while also making SC/ST reservations in government job promotions applicable in the state, reports The Economic Times.

An official release stated that the cabinet had “approved the proposal of Jammu & Kashmir Government regarding amendment to the Constitution (Application to Jammu & Kashmir) Order, 1954 by way of the Constitution (Application to Jammu & Kashmir) Amendment Order, 2019.”

This means that now, the Constitution (Seventy-Seventh Amendment) Act, 1995 and Constitution (One Hundred and Third Amendment) Act, 2019 for Jammu and Kashmir which grant the EWS quota and reservations to SCs and STs in government job promotions respectively, will also apply to J&K.

Another decision made at the cabinet meeting was to issue an ordinance for granting reservation to people residing along the International Border in J&K; the reservation benefits were already being provided people living along the Line-of-Control (LoC).

The inhabitants of these border areas face routine hardship due to shelling and cross-border firing from Pakistan.