OMAR FACES A QUOTA CHALLENGE

Just over a month into its tenure, the Omar Abdullah government is seeking to meet head-on one of the toughest challenges it faces: acting on its poll promise to revisit Jammu & Kashmir's reservation policy. As Omar resumes the chief minister's job after a gap of nearly a decade, he confronts record levels of unemployment.

- Kaleem Geelani

Job aspirants far outnumber available government or private sector jobs-a scenario that adds a sharp edge to the call to reverse or scale down reservations, especially those initiated by the Lieutenant Governor-led administration earlier this year. The CM, facing heat for weeks, finally acted at a cabinet meeting on November 22-forming a subcommittee of three ministers to examine the issue.

The present quotas in J&K add up to a staggering 60 per cent and cast a shadow over the government's poll promise of generating one lakh jobs and the filling of all state sector vacancies within 180 days of its formation. "Our youth, especially those in the open category, feel they are not getting their rights. At the same time, those in the ambit of reservation do not want to see curtailment in their rights," Omar has said cautiously.