A meeting of the J&K Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, took place in Srinagar to address crucial administrative matters, including responses to the cabinet sub-committee’s proposals on reservations. The Council of Ministers gathered at the Civil Secretariat to deliberate on policies enhancing governance and public service delivery in Jammu & Kashmir.
The cabinet sub-committee, established on December 10, 2024, submitted its report after six months on June 10, 2025. Following this, the Cabinet consulted the Law Department and finalized the report, approving it on December 4, 2025, before sending it to the Lieutenant Governor.
Proposals in the report suggested increasing Open Merit jobs and seats from the current 30% to 40%. Reservations in J&K currently stand at 70%, with only 30% allocated for Open Merit candidates, leading to discontent among the youth. Categories like ST-I, ST-II, RBA, EWS, SC, OBCs, and ALC/IB each have specific reservation percentages.
The Lieutenant Governor returned the cabinet recommendations without approval, citing Ministry of Home Affairs observations on UT reservations. The J&K cabinet aims to raise the open merit quota to 40% for government job recruitments and college admissions to address the issue.
