‎Srinagar, Sep 29 (KNS): Jammu and Kashmir has issued more than 4.7 lakh category certificates between January 1, 2025 and August 1, 2026, while over 61,000 applications were rejected during the period, the government informed the Legislative Assembly.
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‎According to a reply by the Social Welfare Department to a question by MLA Sajad Gani Lone, a total of 4,70,447 category certificates were issued across Jammu and Kashmir during the period.
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‎Of these, 3,84,249 certificates were issued in Jammu Division, while 86,198 were issued in Kashmir Division. The number of rejected cases stood at 49,953 in Jammu Division and 11,316 in Kashmir Division, taking the total to 61,269.
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‎The government was also asked about the status of implementation of the Cabinet recommendation on reservation and details of queries raised by the Union Government on the recommendation.
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‎In its reply, the government said the recommendations had been submitted to the competent authority. However, it declined to provide details of the Cabinet decision and proceedings, saying the information was secret under Rule 38 of the Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
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‎The reply also said no individual had been identified as having obtained a category certificate through misrepresentation of facts or fraud during the period in question.
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‎On the possibility of relaxing the eligibility criteria for Economically Weaker Sections, including removal of the asset-based criteria, the government said there was currently no such proposal under consideration.
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‎The government further clarified that possession of a Priority Household ration card alone cannot be treated as a substitute for the prescribed income and asset criteria for determining EWS status.
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‎Under the existing rules, an EWS family must have a gross annual income below Rs 8 lakh and must not possess assets specified under the relevant provisions of the J&K Reservation Rules.
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‎On the question of proportional representation for different categories, including the Open Merit category, based on population data, the government said the matter would be examined under the applicable legal provisions after the publication of Census 2027 data.(KNS)