Srinagar, May 15: Putting speculations to rest, the Governor N N Vohra on Saturday gave his consent to the Inter District Recruitment Bill by virtue of which 8 per cent reservation would be granted to Schedule Castes in jobs across JK.
 Confirming the Governor’s consent to the bill, the Minister for Law and Parliamentary affairs, Ali Muhammad Sagar said that the “bill is now a law.”
 “The Governor has accepted the bill in the same form in which it was presented to him and he didn’t make any amendments. Nor has any recommendation been made about amending it,” Sagar told Greater Kashmir.
 The bill, which triggered chaos and uproar in the state assembly, was passed by the legislature in amended form by voice vote on April 9, 2010. It bans the inter-district recruitment in the state but grants 8 per cent reservation to SCs.
 Sagar said the Act would applicable after the rules are framed by the Law department.
 The bill generated intense debate in the Valley with opposition People’s Democratic Party terming it as “against the interest of people of Kashmir.” PDP had demanded a total ban of the inter-district recruitments.
 The separatists had also voiced their concern against the bill.
  While Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the bill was against the interests of Kashmiris—which has a negligible SC population.
 Syed Ali Geelani and the High Court Bar Association had said the bill was passed to change state’s demography

Lastupdate on : Sat, 15 May 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 15 May 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 16 May 2010 00:00:00 IST