Jammu Kashmir: Over 2.1 lakh Category Certificates Issued in 2025, EWS Norms Not Changing 

SRINAGAR: The Jammu Kashmir government has said that over 2.1 lakh category certificates were issued across the Union Territory in 2025, while more than 32,000 applications were rejected during the same period.

The figures were shared in the Legislative Assembly in response to a starred question by Sajad Gani Lone regarding the issuance and rejection of reserved category certificates.

According to the data, between January 1 and September 30, 2025, a total of 1,55,072 certificates were issued in the Jammu region and 60,791 certificates in the Kashmir region under various categories including Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes (OBC), Actual Line of Control (ALC), International Border (IB), and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).

During the same period, 25,354 applications were rejected in Jammu and 7,317 in Kashmir, the government informed the House.

Responding to Lone’s query on whether the income criterion was the main reason behind rejections under the EWS category in Kashmir, the government confirmed that the prescribed eligibility conditions were being strictly applied and that no relaxation or amendment of these norms was presently under consideration.

The Social Welfare Department clarified that families earning an annual income of Rs 8 lakh or more are ineligible for the EWS category. The exclusion also applies to those owning five acres or more of agricultural land, a residential flat measuring 1,000 square feet or above, or a residential plot of 100 square yards or more in notified municipalities (and 200 square yards or more elsewhere).

On being asked whether the reservation criteria are uniform across regions and states, the government said the quantum of reservation in Jammu and Kashmir stands at 50 per cent, excluding the 10 per cent quota for EWS, besides other horizontal reservations.

The reply further stated that a Cabinet Sub-Committee was constituted on December 10, 2024 to review Jammu and Kashmir’s existing reservation structure. The panel has already submitted its report to the Council of Ministers, which is expected to take a final view on it in due course.

In response to another question on whether the total reservation exceeds the 50 per cent ceiling set by the Supreme Court, the government said the reservation framework is within the permissible limits, excluding the EWS quota introduced under constitutional provisions.