Overview

• The three-member Cabinet Sub-Committee on Reservation, formed on December 10 under a six-month mandate, finalized its report on June 10 after stakeholder consultations.
• In a June 18 Srinagar meeting led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the report was formally tabled for cabinet discussion by members Sakina Itoo, Javed Rana and Satish Sharma.
• The recommendations propose recalibrating category quotas that currently allocate almost 70 percent of government positions and college seats to reserved groups.
• National Conference’s manifesto commitment to make the reservation policy more merit-friendly has intensified demands from student groups and political parties for greater open merit representation.
• Officials are weighing whether any cabinet- or assembly-approved changes can be implemented without additional parliamentary approval.