Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone on Tuesday urged the UT government to reconsider the asset-based criteria for issuing Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category certificates used for jobs and admissions.
In a post on X, Lone highlighted the imbalance, stating, "BPL population in Kashmir exceeds that of Jammu, yet only one of nine qualifiers in the EWS category in the recent KAS examination was from the Valley.”
He cited official government figures showing 37.71 lakh people in the Below Poverty Line category (Antyodaya Anna Yojana + Priority Households) in Kashmir Valley compared to 29.81 lakh in Jammu.
Lone pointed out that only 7.7 per cent and 8.6 per cent of EWS certificates issued in previous cases (similar to SC, ST, and OBC) were from Kashmir. He argued that while almost all of the BPL population in Kashmir falls within the income criteria, the asset-related conditions — particularly the size of the residential house and plot — effectively exclude Kashmiris from the EWS category.
“This particular category is tilted towards Jammu because of government norms, not because Kashmir is rich and Jammu is poor,” Lone said, describing the distribution as a “grave injustice” to the people of Kashmir.
He noted that more than 21 lakh people in the Valley belong to poor sections, yet approvals for EWS certificates remain substantially higher in Jammu. Lone questioned the policy and suggested learning from states like Rajasthan and Kerala, which have done away with asset-related conditions.
“It is time to study what states like Rajasthan and Kerala have done. If they have done away with asset-related conditions, why cannot we?” he asked. The remarks come amid ongoing debates over reservation policies and regional equity in Jammu and Kashmir following the restoration of statehood demands and administrative changes.
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