Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Wednesday that the UT cabinet in its meeting has made recommendations for rationalisation of the reservation policy in government jobs and professional institutions.
Speaking to the media after he chaired a cabinet meeting here, Omar Abdullah said, “There were 22 items on the cabinet agenda today, including the construction of a new Kashmir house in Dwarika (Delhi), promotions of chief engineers in the R&B department and the steps to be taken to revive the cooperative societies in J&K”.
Asked about the cabinet decision on reservation policy, the CM said, “This is the third time the issue was discussed in the cabinet. We had a threadbare discussion on the issue. A cabinet sub-committee chaired by senior cabinet minister, Sakina Itoo, also discussed the issue thoroughly. In today’s meeting, we have made recommendations to rationalise the reservation policy as far as possible.”
He said the decision has been taken for the people and not to please somebody. “As you have seen, it is easy to do politics on the issue, and it is being done. Certain people are now threatening us with agitation. Our endeavour has been to fulfil a promise we made to the people, and we have done that through our recommendations on reservation policy. Since the cabinet decisions have not been made public yet and the recommendations have been sent to Hon’ble L-G, I can’t say anything more on this issue right now,” Omar Abdullah added.
Talking to the media after the cabinet meeting, Minister Javed Rana said that the cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, has approved several key departmental proposals, including promotions in the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department and the creation of the Animal Protection Board.
Officials said the cabinet meeting began at 9 a.m. at the Chief Minister’s Jammu residence and focused on a range of governance and development issues, senior officials noted.
Matters related to electricity supply, reservation policy and preparations for the winter season were also taken up during the deliberations.
“One of the major approvals granted by the Cabinet was a proposal concerning promotions and service-related matters of officer cadres in the R&B Department. After detailed discussions, the government cleared the seniority confirmation and related service issues. The Cabinet also sanctioned financial support aimed at strengthening cooperative societies in the livestock and fisheries sectors. There were some minor issues discussed, but the primary agenda centred on the promotion and service proposals of R&B officers. Their seniority confirmation has now been approved,” the minister said.
(IANS)
