LS Passes J&K Reservation And Reorganization (Amendment) Bill, 2023

Lok Sabha has passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation-Amendment Bill-2023 and Jammu-Kashmir Reorganisation-Amendment Bill -2023 on 6 December 2023. These two bills seek to amend certain provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 and Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004 respectively. 

Features of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation-Amendment Bill-2023:

• The bill  proposes to increase the number of seats in the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly from 107 to 114.
• Out of these 114 seats, 24 seats will be reserved for the people of the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir(POK).
• In the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, 24 seats were reserved for the people of POK and the effective strength of the Assembly was 83. The bill proposes to raise the effective strength of the legislative assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir from existing 83 to 90.
• The number of seats for the Jammu region is  proposed to be increased from the present 37 to 43.
• The number of seats for the Kashmir region is  proposed to be increased from the present 46 to 47.
• The bill gives the power to the lieutenant governor of Jammu and Kashmir to nominate 2 members of the Kashmiri migrant community to the Legislative Assembly. 
• At least one nominated member shall be a woman.

Definition of a Kashmiri Migrant: 

The bill defines a Kashmiri migrant as “a person who migrated from the Kashmir valley or any part of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir after 1 November 1989 and is registered with the Relief Commissioner”.

About Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023:

• This bill seeks to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act 2004, which  provides reservation in admission to jobs and professional institutions to the members of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other socially and educationally backward classes (OBC).
• The bill provides reservation for the Economically Weaker Section of society in professional institutions of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
• The bill seeks to amend section 2 of the Reservation Act to change the nomenclature of “weak and underprivileged classes (social castes)” to “other backward class”.
• The bill provides for the reservation of 7 seats for the Scheduled Castes and 9 seats for the Scheduled Tribes in the assembly.