The J&K government on Wednesday said the Jammu division issued more economically weaker sections (EWS) certificates than the Kashmir division over the past two years.

BJP MLA Sham Lal Sharma speaks during the last day of the autumn session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, in Srinagar on Wednesday. State Assembly LoP Sunil Kumar Sharma also present. (ANI)

According to jal Shakti minister Javed Ahmed Rana, 2,486 EWS certificates have been issued in Kashmir division, compared to 24,058 in the Jammu division during the period.

Rana was replying to a calling attention notice tabled by MLA Sajad Gani Lone regarding alleged discrimination against the Kashmir division in the issuance of EWS certificates.

Raising a supplementary on the subject, Lone urged the government to evolve a uniform and rational definition of the EWS.

He suggested that the criteria for determining EWS eligibility could be reviewed by taking into consideration factors such as per capita income, social conditions and other relevant socio-economic indicators.

Responding to the issues raised, social welfare minister Sakeena Itoo said that the rules governing determination of the EWS category are prescribed by the Union government and that states and Union Territories are required to adopt the prescribed criteria.

CPI(M) MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami also intervened, stating that the criteria prescribed for determining the EWS category are not necessarily applied uniformly across all States. He pointed out that some states have evolved their own criteria and suggested that J&K could also examine the practices followed elsewhere while framing an appropriate mechanism.