Parliament Passes Jammu & Kashmir Reservation(Amendment) Bill [Read Bill]

The Rajya Sabha on Monday passed the Jammu and Kashmir (Reservation) Amendment Bill 2019, two days after it was cleared by Lok Sabha.

The Bill, which replaces the Jammu and Kashmir (Reservation) Amendment Ordinance 2019 issued on March 1, provides for amendments in the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004 to bring persons residing in the areas adjoining International Border within the ambit of reservation at par with persons living in areas adjoining Actual Line of Control (ALoC). 

Earlier, the provision of 3% reservation was available only for youth living within 6 kms of LoC in J&K. Now, this provision will be applicable for people living near the international border also. This has been a long-pending demand of the population living near the international border, as they have been facing the brunt of cross border firing in J&K.

The compulsory seven-year service for those appointed on the basis of residence near the LoAC will also be applicable to people near the International Border.

 The J&K Assembly was dissolved by Governor Satya Pal Malik last November, after BJP pulled out of the alliance with PDP. Since then the state has been under Presidential rule, and elections have been kept in abeyance citing security reasons.

In this backdrop, the Bill was passed by the Parliament. The Upper House today approved the resolution to extend Presidential rule in J&K for another six months.

The Bill and the resolution now await the assent of President Ram Nath Kovind.

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