Jammu, March 16 (IANS): The Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Council (AC), chaired by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, approved the proposal to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005, an official statement said on Friday.

The amendments were proposed by the Social Welfare Department.

"In light of the addition of four new tribes i.e. Pahari Ethnic Group, Paddari Tribe, Kolis and Gadda Brahmins, to the Scheduled Tribes (STs) 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 per cent," the statement said.

"In order 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," it added.

The AC also approved the addition of 15 new castes in Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and the enhancement of reservation in favour of OBCs to 8 per cent, which will meet the long pending demand of the OBC category in the Union Territory.

It also approved the change in nomenclature and synonymy of some castes as recommended by the Jammu and Kashmir Socially and Educationally Backward Classes 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 fulfil the long pending demands of these 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 economical backwardness," the statement said.