Article 370 amended to extend reservation to SC/ST, EWS and people living along IB in J&K
| 01-Mar-2019 |
In a major policy decision, Modi Government approved the proposal of Jammu and Kashmir Government to make amendment in Article 370(1) so that SCs and STs of the state will get the reservation, in promotion, in the state. Union Cabinet sent this proposal to the President of India to issue "The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019'. The decision was taken in the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by PM Narender Modi. Article 370 is a temporary provision of the Constitution of India, which was never struck down though it was enacted for a limited purpose.
Reservation for the residents of J&K settled near to IB
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley informed that Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Ordinance 2019 will pave the way for the reservation of the people settled along the International Borders (IB). He said only the people settled near LOC were getting the benefit of reservation since 2004 but now the people living near IB will also get the reservation benefit. This decision will benefit over 3 lakh people residing in 350 villages along IB.
Reservation for EWS of J&K
With the application of Constitutional Amendment (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) order, 2019 the economically weaker sections of Jammu and Kashmir will get the benefit of reservation like their counterparts in the rest of the country. This provision came into force, in the rest of the country, with the 103rd constitutional amendment Act.
The present decision of the Government of India would be helpful in making a uniform system of reservation across the country. Though Jammu and Ladakh have openly asked the central government of India for one nation, one constitution and one flag yet their request was ignored by the earlier political dispensation that was holding power in Delhi and it was not ready to listen to the sane voices from Jammu and Ladakh. Also, even the focus remained only to the few districts of Kashmir whereas the entire state had completely different aspirations and expectations from the Central Government.