In a bombshell revelation that has reignited debates over regional inequities in Jammu & Kashmir, official government figures tabled in the Legislative Assembly show Jammu division overwhelmingly dominating reserved category certificates across nearly all segments. Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
The data, presented in response to a cut motion by Peoples Conference president and Handwara MLA Sajad Gani Lone, highlights glaring imbalances in the issuance of certificates for Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Reserved Backward Areas (RBA), Actual Line of Control (ALC), International Border (IB), and related categories — as reported by Kashmir News Observer (KNO) and corroborated by multiple outlets including Greater Kashmir and Kashmir Life.
Key highlights from the government data:
- Scheduled Tribes (ST): Out of 749,970 total certificates issued, Jammu secured a massive 693,781 (over 92.5%), while Kashmir received only 56,189 (7.4%). This reflects the concentration of tribal communities (like Gujjars and Bakerwals) in Jammu’s hilly and border areas.
- Scheduled Castes (SC): The gap is even wider — more than 98% in Jammu! Of 141,419 certificates, 139,664 went to Jammu and just 1,755 to Kashmir (1.24%).
- Reserved Backward Area (RBA): The only near-balanced category, with Jammu at 50.5% (50,982 out of 100,848) and Kashmir at 49.4% (49,866).
- Actual Line of Control (ALC): Jammu holds 93.6% (6,732 out of 7,192), Kashmir 6.3% (460).
- International Border (IB): 100% to Jammu — all 6,732 certificates issued there, with zero in Kashmir.
- Other Backward Classes (OBC): Jammu leads with 59.8% (78,324), Kashmir at 40.2% (52,652).
These figures underscore long-standing grievances about how reservation benefits — crucial for jobs, education, and welfare schemes — appear disproportionately skewed toward the Jammu division, potentially due to demographic distributions, certification processes, or historical factors.
Sajad Lone, who raised the issue through his cut motion, has long argued that such disparities reflect systemic issues, with numbers now “vindicating” those claims as per reports from KNS and others.
The data comes amid ongoing discussions on reservation policy reforms in J&K, including a Cabinet sub-committee report already forwarded to the Centre for review.
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