SRINAGAR: The government data on issuance of category certificates in Jammu and Kashmir over the past two years shows a striking gap between the Valley and the Jammu region. PDP MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra alleged a sharp regional divide in the issuance of category certificates by the government and said the figures lay bare a stark regional disparity.
In response to Parra’s question seeking district-wise details of certificates issued under Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), Residents of Backward Areas (RBA), Actual Line of Control (ALC) and other categories in Jammu and Kashmir during last two years, the incharge revenue minister informed the Legislative Assembly today that a total of 70,268 SC certificates were issued in J&K during the last two years.
Of the 70,268 SC certificates issued, 69,794 were issued in the Jammu region and a mere 474 in Kashmir.
A total of 602,434 ST certificates were issued in J&K by the government in the last two years, out of which 525,778 were issued in the Jammu region and 76,656 in the Valley.
Similarly, of the total 76,664 OBC certificates issued in J&K in the last two years, 43,438 were issued in the Jammu region and 33,226 in the Valley.
A total of 21,386 EWS certificates were issued in the last two years, out of which 18,945 were issued in the Jammu region, while 2,441 were issued in Kashmir, the government disclosed.
Of the 47,399 RBA category certificates issued in J&K in the last two years, 15,595 were issued in the Jammu region and 31,804 in the Valley.
Of the total 3,280 ALC certificates issued in two years, 2,796 were issued in the Jammu region and 484 in the Valley, the government data revealed.
A total of 324 other category certificates were issued in the last two years, and all of them were issued in the Jammu region.
The PDA MLA said data shared by the Revenue Department in response to his question in the J&K Assembly reveals a sharp regional divide in certificate issuance over the last two years.
“SC: Jammu 99.2% | Kashmir 0.67%; ST: Jammu 87.2% | Kashmir 12.7%; OBC: Jammu 56.6% | Kashmir 43.4%; EWS: Jammu 88.5% | Kashmir 11.4%; RBA: Jammu 32.9% | Kashmir 67.1%; ALC: Jammu 85.2% | Kashmir 14.7%,” Parra posted on X.
The PDP MLA said these figures lay bare a stark regional disparity in the distribution of social category certificates, exposing a grave breach of fairness, equality, merit and administrative impartiality at the very core of J&K’s welfare framework.
“This is precisely why we have been calling for the rationalisation of the reservation policy, strictly in proportion to the population,” he added.
