Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has convened a crucial Cabinet meeting on December 3 in the Civil Secretariat, Jammu, with major reforms to Jammu and Kashmir’s reservation policy expected to dominate the agenda. This will be the first formal cabinet meeting after the annual Durbar Move.
According to official sources, the government is preparing to significantly increase the Open Merit (OM) quota in jobs and educational institutions. To achieve this, amendments to the existing Reservation Rules are being considered, particularly adjustments to the Resident of Backward Areas (RBA) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) categories. While EWS quota is currently capped at 10 percent as per national guidelines, officials suggest the government may explore justified modifications. RBA, previously at 20 percent and brought down to 10 percent due to concerns of misuse by influential individuals, may face further rationalisation.
At present, J&K’s reservation structure allocates 70 percent of seats across various categories: 20 percent for Scheduled Tribes (split evenly between Gujjar-Bakerwal and Pahari tribes), 10 percent each for RBA and EWS, eight percent each for OBC and SC, and four percent for ALC/IB. Additionally, 10 percent horizontal reservation is provided for Ex-servicemen and Persons with Disabilities. To raise the OM category to 40 percent, the government aims to cut roughly 10 percent from non-Parliament mandated quotas.
The demand for change intensified after the Finance Department advertised 600 Accounts Assistant posts, of which only 240 were allotted to the OM category. Youth from the general category expressed strong resentment, arguing that they are being marginalised in public recruitment.
The Cabinet Sub Committee on Reservation, formed in December 2024 following widespread protests, submitted its recommendations in June 2025. After vetting by the Law Department, these proposals will now be taken up for a final decision. However, any Cabinet resolution will require approval from the Lieutenant Governor.
CM Omar recently confirmed that the government was waiting for the Model Code of Conduct to end before moving ahead with reservation reforms.
