JOIN USCentre sets EWS criteria for 10% quota
People under general category who own a residential flat of 1,000 sqft and above or a residential plot of 100 square yards and above in notified municipalities will not be entitled to 10% reservation in government jobs and higher education under the economically weaker sections (EWS) category.
According to the Union Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment, those who own a residential plot of 200 square yards and above in areas other than the notified municipalities or possess five acres of agricultural land and above will also not be considered as those belonging to EWS in general category for reservation benefits.
The ministry has excluded such people from the list of beneficiaries “irrespective of their annual family income”, thereby setting the criteria for identification of those belonging to EWS among general category to provide 10% quota in government jobs and admissions to higher education institutions.
“Persons who are not covered under the existing scheme of reservation for the scheduled castes (SCs), scheduled tribes (STs) and socially and educationally backward classes (OBCs) and whose family has gross annual income below Rs 8 lakh are to be identified as EWS for the benefit of reservation,” the ministry stated in an office memorandum.
The income and assets of families would be required to be certified by an officer not below the rank of tehsildar in states and union Territories.
“The officer who issues the certificate would do the same after carefully verifying all relevant documents following due process as prescribed by the respective State governments and UT administration,” the ministry said.
Following an official communication from the ministry, the department of personnel and training (DoPT) has notified on Saturday that 10% reservation would be provided for EWS in central government posts and services.
“It would be effective in respect of all direct recruitment vacancies to be notified on or after February 1, 2019,” the department also stated in its notification, adding “detailed instructions regarding operation of roster and procedure for implementation of the EWS reservation will be issued separately.”
However, the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has issued orders for “immediate” implementation of 10% quota for the EWS category students in the centrally funded higher educational institutions including central universities, IITs, IIMs and NITs only.
For the implementation of reservation to all category of students including EWS in private universities and colleges, the ministry has left it on the state governments and union territory administrations as they are set up under the State Legislature Acts.
It has requested them to give effect to the provisions of the Constitution (one hundred and third amendment) Act, 2019, notified by the Centre recently, to enforce quota in all higher educational institutions “in such a manner that the provision for reservation for EWS would become operational from the academic year 2019-20.”