Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will chair a crucial cabinet meeting in Jammu on Wednesday to discuss the reservation policy and it is expected that the government may take major decisions including increasing the Open Merit quota.
Official sources said that the meeting will take place at Civil Secretariat Jammu tomorrow morning.
Besides, CM, the meeting would be attended by DyCM Surinder Choudhary, other ministers and Chief Secretary.
Sources said the reservation overhaul will be a key discussion during the cabinet as the government plans to amend Reservation Rules to rationalize quotas in certain categories, especially Resident of Backward Areas (RBA) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), to accommodate the proposed hike in Open Merit share.
“The Government needs to cut around 10 percent from various categories excluding those mandated by Parliament like SC, ST, and OBC to enhance Open Merit to 40 percent,” they said.
Currently, reservation in J&K stands at 70 percent. The highest share 20 percent goes to Scheduled Tribes (10 percent each to Gujjar-Bakerwal and Pahari Ethnic Tribes), followed by 10 percent each for RBA and EWS, eight percent for OBC, eight percent for SC, and four percent for ALC/IB residents. Horizontal reservation of 10 percent is provided to Ex-servicemen and Persons with Disabilities.
The Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC) on Reservation was constituted on December 10 last year following protests by general category aspirants. It submitted its recommendations on June 10, 2025, followed by scrutiny from the Law Department.
These recommendations are now expected to come up for final decision in tomorrow’s Cabinet meeting.
“All decisions of the Cabinet will ultimately require approval from the Lieutenant Governor,” sources added.