Srinagar, March 17: Peoples Conference president Sajad Gani Lone has urged the J&K government to rethink asset-based criteria for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) reservation in jobs and admissions, citing stark disparities in Below Poverty Line (BPL) numbers.
Kashmir Valley has 37.71 lakh BPL souls under Antyodaya Anna Yojana and Priority Households—more than Jammu’s 29.81 lakh—yet only 1 of 9 EWS qualifiers in the recent KAS exam was from the Valley, Lone noted on X.
Government data shows Kashmir gets just 7.7-8.6% of EWS certificates. Lone argues income criteria fits most BPL Kashmiris, but asset rules—like house/plot size—exclude them, especially in districts like Srinagar (5.09 lakh BPL), Kupwara (5.21 lakh), Baramulla (5.79 lakh), and Anantnag (5.76 lakh).
“All reservations tilt towards Jammu—this one due to flawed norms, not because Kashmir is rich,” he said, calling it a lost confidence-builder for old city areas.
Lone appealed to the Chief Minister for urgent fixes before more recruitments, asking why J&K can’t drop asset norms like Rajasthan and Kerala.
