In the context of the JKAS results.
Only one person has been selected from the Kashmir division under the EWS category.
Two most important indicators of EWS, are souls living below poverty line, officially identified under two categories viz. (Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) Priority Households (PHH). These are however not used to determine EWS status for recruitment or admissions.
The number of souls in the Below Poverty Line Category (Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) Priority Households (PHH)) in Kashmir Valley exceeds that in Jammu.
As per official data of J&K Government, 37.71 lakh such population is in Kashmir and 29.81 lakh in Jammu. AAY are the poorest of the poor while PHH covers families which were earlier called BPL.
The government, in response to my questions in the second and fourth sessions of the Assembly respectively, revealed that only 7.7% and 8.6% of certificates issued under EWS category were from Kashmir.
Both sets of data are from official sources. So when you define poverty(EWS) for the department of food supplies, government has a different definition. And when you define poverty(EWS) for recruitment and admissions, government has a different definition.
Of the nine candidates selected under the Economically Weaker Section Category (EWS) in the recent Combined Entrance Examination combined to recruitment for recruitment to JKAS and other services only ONE is from Kashmir. And it is not surprising. Incidentally the predictions made in the presentation that I had prepared on reservations almost overlap. We had predicted 2/10 and result is 1/9.
The problem lies in the criteria for granting these certificates. While almost all BPL population in Kashmir falls within the income criteria for issuing these certificates, the asset-related conditions, especially the size of the residential house and residential plot ensures exclusion of Kashmiris from the EWS category.
Why cannot the government remove asset-related criteria? It can be done and has been done by several states. An expert set-up by the Government of India on December 01, 2021 favoured the removal of exclusion based on family residential assets.
It is grave injustice with people of Kashmir. We have 5. 09 lakh BPL souls in Srinagar, 5. 21 lakh in Kupwara 5. 79 lakh in Baramulla and 5. 76 lakh in Anantnag.
The EWS certificates could have been a major confidence building measure for old city Srinagar, old town Baramulla, Anantnag , Budgam parts of Sopore etc awhose inhabitants have been left out of the developmental process for decades.
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.
I request the CM sahib to look into the matter. This is not something which should be delayed. There is no excuse for delay. Every recruitment process without corrections means injustice. This correction is overdue. All the reservations are heavily tilted towards Jammu. This particular category is tilted towards Jammu because of government norms, not because Kashmir is rich and Jammu is poor