Srinagar, June 18: Jammu and Kashmir cabinet headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is meeting on Wednesday evening to discuss the cabinet sub-committee (CSC) report on reservations in government jobs.

The CSC finalised its report on June 10, and the same will be tabled before the cabinet to take its call on the contentious issue that has constitutional and legal implications.

The report finalised on June 10 by the CSC will be discussed, and a view will be taken on how to proceed on the sensitive issue.

Of the five cabinet ministers in J&K, except the CM, three ministers are members of the CSC.

There has been unrest among the open merit candidates as the reservations under various categories in the UT have reached almost 70 per cent, leaving just 30 per cent of seats for the open merit candidates to compete among themselves when applying for a government job.

The cabinet will have to take the final call on the implementation of the CSC report and also the procedure to be adopted to implement the CSC recommendations.

The ruling National Conference (NC) election manifesto had promised to revisit the reservation policy to make it merit-friendly by providing open merit candidates the maximum share.

On December 10, 2024, the CSC was formed and asked to submit its report within six months.

For the Omar Abdullah-led government, taking the final call on reservations is going to be a tough call, as a cut in the reservation in any category will be a difficult task, but without that, there is no other way to give relief to open merit candidates.

As per the existing rules, 20 per cent reservation has been given to Scheduled Tribes (STs) including 10 per cent each to Gujjars and Bakerwals and Pahari Ethnic Tribes, 10 per cent to Resident of Backward Areas (RBAs), 10 per cent to Economically Weaker Sections, 8 per cent to Other Backward Classes, 8 per cent to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 4 per cent to the residents of areas adjoining Line of Actual Control (ALC)/International Border (IB).

There is a 10 per cent horizontal reservation, including 6 per cent to ex-servicemen and 4 per cent to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).

Further, some candidates from the reserved category, who get selected in the general category, can also opt for jobs in the open category.

There was no reservation for OBCs till a year back, and only four per cent reservation was given under the category Other Social Castes (OSCs). The BJP-led Union government fulfilled the long-pending demand of the OBCs for reservation and passed a law in the Parliament, after which they got 8 per cent reservation.

Also, there was a 20 per cent reservation under the RBA category, which has been reduced to 10 per cent. There were allegations that influential persons got their villages included in the RBA category to avail the benefits of reservation for their kin.

The reservations in Jammu and Kashmir came into effect after the Reorganisation Act 2019 was passed by the Parliament. Even if the CSC recommendations are accepted by the cabinet and also passed by the UT’s Legislative Assembly, the question being asked is whether they can come into effect without the Parliament’s approval?

Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 includes provisions for reservations in jobs and admissions within the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. These provisions extend the existing reservation policies applicable to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other socially and educationally backward classes to J&K.

New Delhi, June 18: Senior Congress leader Udit Raj has stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “claims cannot be trusted” unless the US Presidency issues a confirmation that third-party mediation was not requested during Operation Sindoor.

He questioned why the Modi government has not yet convened a special parliamentary session to counter US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims about brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s Operation Sindoor.

Raj’s remarks came after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri disclosed details of a 35-minute phone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump.

During the call, PM Modi told Trump that the decision to halt military action was taken through direct communication between Indian and Pakistani military channels and that India firmly rejects any external mediation on issues related to Pakistan.

However, Udit Raj dismissed the government’s version of the call and accused the Prime Minister of being “dishonest”.

“Trump has said this 14 times. How does PM Modi’s statement help? PM Modi repeatedly lies; he wins elections by lying. If there is such a thing (as the phone call with Trump), then why does the Prime Minister not call a special session of Parliament? Why did he not dismiss the 14 mentions of ceasefire claims made by Trump?” Raj told media.

The Congress leader further alleged that the government has failed to counter Trump’s narrative at the global level.

“Why did PM Modi go running to the G7? He had no work there. Even there, Trump indirectly belittled India by saying Russia and China should be part of the G7. Why didn’t he say India should be a member? So, who can believe what PM Modi is saying? Till Trump or the White House officially confirm what PM Modi claimed, there’s no point in believing it,” he added.

“We only trust the truth. Trump said it 14 times. Did PM Modi ever once dismiss it? Can someone run the government by lies?” he asked.

The Congress leader also pointed to the ongoing US visit of the Pakistani Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, who is scheduled to meet Trump, saying it signals a shift in Pakistan’s international standing.

“After Operation Sindoor, Pakistan’s global image and foreign policy have been steadily improving. No country has come forward to stand with India. Is speaking this truth considered anti-national? It is actually in the nation’s interest to question where we went wrong. If we keep our eyes closed, we will be ruined,” Raj said.

He also referenced the “international isolation” Pakistan faced after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and contrasted it with the current scenario.

“There was a time when the entire world isolated Pakistan. Today, we are isolated. Whether it’s ADB or IMF, everyone is providing loans to Pakistan to fight against India. Pakistan has also mended relations with countries it previously had strained ties with,” he said.

New Delhi, June 18: As dozens of flights to and from Indonesia’s resort island of Bali were cancelled on Wednesday after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano erupted, Air India flight AI2145 from Delhi to Bali was advised to return to Delhi in the interest of passenger safety, the airline said.

The eruption occurred on the eastern island of Flores, where the 1,584-metre volcano forced authorities to raise its alert status to the highest level on Indonesia’s four-tier scale.

As the Air India spokesperson said, the AI2145 flight safely landed back in Delhi, and all passengers disembarked.

“Inconvenience caused to passengers is sincerely regretted, and every effort has been made to minimise it by providing hotel accommodation to the affected passengers. Full refunds on cancellation or complimentary rescheduling have also been offered to them if opted,” said the spokesperson.

According to Bali airport operator Angkasa Pura Indonesia, “Due to volcano activity of Lewatobi Laki-Laki in East Nusa Tenggara, several flights at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport are cancelled”.

Several domestic flights operated by AirAsia were also cancelled. Jetstar said that flights to and from Bali had been cancelled, but some afternoon departures were delayed to later in the evening as the ash cloud was expected to clear.

Bali’s international airport web portal also showed cancellations from Air New Zealand and Singapore’s Tigerair and China’s Juneyao Airlines.

Volcanic ash began falling on villages surrounding the volcano late on Tuesday and prompted the evacuation of at least one settlement, Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said.

According to forecLewotobi is a twin volcano located in the southeastern part of the island of Flores, Indonesia. It has two peaks: the Lewotobi Laki-laki and Lewotobi Perempuan stratovolcanoes. The more active Lewotobi Laki-laki is about 2.1 km northwest of the taller Lewotobi Perempuan.
asts, the volcanic ash cloud is expected to clear by later tonight.