Claims 39 lakh are poor in Kashmir, yet excluded from jobs; Terms the disparity unseen since 1947
Srinagar, March 30: Peoples Conference President and MLA Handwara Sajad Lone on Monday raised serious concerns in J&K Assembly over the inconsistencies in defining economic vulnerability across government departments, calling it a structural flaw that is distorting fairness in employment and welfare distribution.
Lone anchored his argument in official data, pointing out that the Food Department identifies nearly 39 lakh people in Kashmir and 27 lakh in Jammu as poor under BPL and AAY categories.
In stark contrast, he noted that the Social Welfare framework suggests an inverse reality where 90% in Jammu are classified as economically weak compared to just 10% in Kashmir. He termed this contradiction not just statistical confusion, but a policy failure with real consequences.
Drawing attention to recent recruitment outcomes, including judicial and KAS selections, Lone asserted that such disparities have never been witnessed historically since 1947. He argued that the mismatch in definitions is systematically disadvantaging Kashmir in the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) quota, despite ground realities indicating otherwise.
“What kind of governance is this,” Lone questioned, “where a person is poor when receiving rations or subsidies, but suddenly becomes ‘rich’ when applying for a job?” He emphasized that this duality undermines both logic and justice, exposing a fragmented administrative approach.
With the government announcing 30,000 upcoming jobs, Lone warned that under the current EWS framework, barely a fraction, possibly less than 100 positions, would reach Kashmir.
He contrasted this with BPL data that would warrant a 60:40 distribution in favor of Kashmir, and cited states like Kerala that have rationalized EWS criteria by aligning them with income or public distribution system data.
He further observed that many states have moved away from rigid asset-based criteria and instead adopted income-linked or PDS-based frameworks.
However, he criticized the Jammu & Kashmir Government for failing to revise its criteria, thereby depriving lakhs of Kashmiri youth of rightful access to opportunities under the EWS category, an issue he stressed requires urgent attention.
Rejecting a complete overhaul of the law, Lone instead pressed for a unified, consistent definition of poverty across all departments. “One government must have one definition,” he asserted, making it clear that policy coherence, not legislative expansion, is the urgent need of the hour.
