Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 1: J&K Pradesh Congress Committee has demanded the Union Government to enhance the existing quota for border dwellers to 6 per cent so that people living along International Border and on Line of Control may get equal quota.
While welcoming the inclusion of the residents of IB in the State in the quota of reservation for ALC, JKPCC chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma hailed the statement of Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad in the Rajya Sabha seeking enhancement of existing quota to six percent and assuring full support of the opposition for any such move.
“The Congress always supported the demand for reservation to IB residents at par with ALC but including them in the limited existing quota of three percent would not be complete justice to 3.50 lakh proposed population of IB along with over five lakh existing LoC population in this category. They deserved equal quota of reservation on the pattern of ALC as there is 198 km IB and 740 km long ALC,” Sharma said.
He said the need for including the residents near IB was being felt for quite some time especially in the recent years in the wake of increased shelling and more frequent targeting of civilian population by Pakistan on IB also, like the ceasefire line (LoC).
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