Lok Sabha passes J&K Reservation, J&K Reorganisation (Amendment) Bills

After six hours of debate spanning for over two days and a spirited statement from the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill.

While discussing the Bills in Parliament, the Home Minister said, The two bills related to Jammu and Kashmir brought by the government will give justice to those deprived of their rights for the last 70 years and asserted that reservation to the displaced people will give them a voice in the legislature.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, was introduced in Lok Sabha on July 26, 2023. It amends the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act of 2004.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 provides for the reorganisation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The Bill increases the total number of seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from 83 to 90. It also reserves seven seats for Scheduled Castes and nine seats for Scheduled Tribes.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act provides for reservation in appointment in state government posts, and admission to professional institutions, for certain reserved categories. The Bill provides for reservation in professional institutions for economically weaker sections.