A year on, Karnataka still in dark on 10% EWS quota

The state government has estimated that it will require about Rs 1,000 crore to implement the 10% quota for the economically-weaker sections (EWS), but no final decision is in sight as authorities are still figuring out the modalities.

The Constitution (103rd amendment) Act, 2019, enables people from EWS (upper castes) to claim reservation that is currently available only for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other backward classes.

In January 2019, the Centre notified that 10% reservation would be provided in central government jobs and in admissions to centrally-run educational institutions for EWS persons whose family has a gross annual income below Rs 8 lakh.

Karnataka is yet to decide if the 10% reservation should be extended to state government jobs or educational institutions. States such as Gujarat, Telangana and Maharashtra have said they will implement the quota.

So far, Karnataka has only permitted competent authorities to issue income and assets certificates to persons from the state who are eligible to claim the EWS reservation in central civil services and educational institutions.

A Constitutional amendment, officials said, was just an enabling provision that meant any state can decide whether or not to follow it.

Currently, the matter is with the Law Department, which is examining how the quota can be rolled out for state government jobs and educational institutions. "We are still discussing it," Law Minister J C Madhuswamy told DH earlier this week. "If we give the quota as things stand, it will go against the Constitution. At the same time, it's difficult for us to enhance, in educational institutions, for example, the number of seats to give the 10% quota," he said.

A high-level committee headed by Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar was formed to look into the 10% quota. During this exercise, the committee was told that government departments would need anywhere between Rs 200 crore and Rs 700 crore to implement the quota. "Some of this will be recurring annual expenditure," a senior IAS officer said, while rounding off the estimate to Rs 1,000 crore just to get started.

Lack of clarity on the financial implications of the 10% EWS quota is creating hurdles in its implementation. The officer pointed out, for instance, that if the quota is to be implemented for admissions in engineering colleges through the Common Entrance Test, who should pay for the additional 10% seats?

According to sources, however, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa is keen on implementing the 10% EWS quota.