JKPC chief Sajad Lone highlights official data mismatch on poor population in J&K’s regions, seeks one definition

J&K Peoples Conference (JKPC) chief and legislator Sajad Lone on Monday (March 30, 2026) highlighted the discrepancies in notifying the poor families’ population between the Jammu divisions and the Kashmir division and demanded a fresh definition for “who is a poor person” in the Union Territory (UT). 

Speaking in the J&K Assembly, Mr. Lone said official data contradicted its own figures on how many poor families live in the two regions of Kashmir and Jammu and termed it as “a structural flaw that is distorting fairness in employment and welfare distribution”.

“According to the J&K Food Department, nearly 39 lakh people in Kashmir and 27 lakhs in Jammu have been identified as poor under Below Poverty Line and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY). In stark contrast, the Social Welfare framework suggests an inverse reality where 90% in Jammu are classified as economically weak compared to just 10% in Kashmir,” Mr. Lone told the House.

Mr. Lone said it was “not just statistical confusion but a policy failure with real consequences”. “Recent recruitment outcomes, including judicial and Kashmir Administrative Services selections, saw disparities never been witnessed historically since 1947. The mismatch in definitions is systematically disadvantageous to Kashmir in the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) quota, despite ground realities indicating otherwise,” Mr. Lone said.

He said a person is poor when receiving rations or subsidies but suddenly becomes ‘rich’ when applying for a job. “This duality undermines both logic and justice, exposing a fragmented administrative approach. With the government announcing 30,000 upcoming jobs, the current EWS framework, barely a fraction, possibly less than 100 positions, would reach Kashmir,” said Mr. Lone.

He cited States like Kerala that have rationalized EWS criteria by aligning them with income or public distribution system data. “Many states have moved away from rigid asset-based criteria and instead adopted income-linked or PDS-based frameworks,” he added.

Mr. Lone criticized the J&K government for failing to revise its criteria, “thereby depriving lakhs of Kashmiri youth of rightful access to opportunities under the EWS category, an issue he stressed requires urgent attention”. 

He urged the government to come up with one definition and make a clear policy. “It is the urgent need of the hour,” Mr. Lone added.