In Jammu and Kashmir, the Administrative Council (AC) under Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha approved the proposal of the Social Welfare Department to amend the J&K Reservation Rules, 2005 in light of the J&K Reservation (Amendment) Act, 2023 dated 15.12.2023, Constitution (J&K) Scheduled Castes Order (Amendment) Act, 2024, Constitution (J&K) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Act, 2024 and recommendations of J&K Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission constituted vide Government Order No. 2030-JK (LD) of 2020 dated 19.03.2020. Akashvani Jammu Correspondent reports that in the light of the addition of four new tribes i.e. Pahari Ethnic Group, Paddari Tribe, Kolis and Gadda Brahmins, to the Scheduled Tribes Order as applicable to the J&K by the Parliament, the Administrative Council approved 10 per cent reservation in favour of newly added tribes taking the overall reservation for STs to 20%. To ensure that both already notified and now newly added tribes get benefits of reservation equally and separately, the AC approved an equal and separate percentage of reservation for them i.e. 10 per cent each. The AC also approved the addition of 15 new castes in OBCs and enhanced reservation in favour of OBCs to 8 per cent, which will meet the long pending demand of the OBC category in the UT. It also approved changes in nomenclature and synonymy of some castes as recommended by the SEBC Commission. Approval was also accorded to replace the term physically challenged persons or handicapped wherever appearing in the rules with the term Persons with Disabilities in conformity with the provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. The amendments shall fulfill the long pending demands of the communities regarding their right to adequate representation in government jobs and professional courses, which they stood hitherto deprived of, due to their social, educational and economic backwardness.