The Government of Jammu and Kashmir informed the Legislative Assembly that it has issued a massive 3.3 lakh certificates under various social and economic categories over the past two years. This data was presented in a written reply to a question by MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra.
Breakdown of Reservation Certificate Issuance Across Categories in Jammu & Kashmir
The official figures provide a detailed breakdown of the certificate distribution across the Union Territory:
- Scheduled Caste (SC) Certificates: 70,268
- Scheduled Tribe (ST) Certificates: 60,243
- Other Backward Class (OBC) Certificates: 76,664
- Economically Weaker Section (EWS) Certificates: 21,386
- Resident of Backward Area (RBA) Certificates: 47,399
- Actual Line of Control (ALC) Certificates: 38,280
The government stated that these certificates were distributed across all districts to ensure eligible individuals can avail benefits under various state welfare schemes.
Jammu District Leads in Certificate Distribution
According to the data, Jammu district received the highest number of certificates, followed by Udhampur, Kathua, and Rajouri districts. The government emphasized that this initiative is part of its efforts to streamline access to social welfare programs.
MLA Parra Flags “Deep Regional Divide” in Certificate Issuance
However, reacting to the data, MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra accused the administration of perpetuating a “regional imbalance” in the issuance of these critical documents. He stated that the official data reveals a “deep regional divide,” with the Jammu division far ahead of the Kashmir division in the distribution of SC, ST, OBC, EWS, and ALC certificates.
In a post on social media platform X, Parra wrote, “Data shared by the Revenue Department reveals a sharp regional divide in certificate issuance over the last two years,” calling it a “serious breach of fairness, equality, and administrative impartiality.”
This disclosure has sparked a debate on the equitable distribution of administrative resources and access to welfare schemes across the two regions of Jammu and Kashmir.
