Criteria for Ews Quota

People are categorised purely based on economic background and the fact that they do not belong to reserved categories. An individual that does not belong to Scheduled Caste (SC)/ Schedule Tribe (ST)/ Other Backward Class (OBC) and fulfills the criteria for EWS in India comes under EWS category as per the definition of Economically Weaker Section. The Union Council of Ministers officially accepted a 10% reservation in educational institutes and government jobs for the General category under the Economically Weaker Section on January 7, 2019. The cabinet ministers decided that this reservation would be above and in addition to the existing 50 per cent reservation for other categories (ST/ST/OBC). 

All about Reviewing Criteria for EWS Quota: Centre Forms Three Member Committee

To reassess all the criteria for the Economically Weaker Section, the central government has formed a committee consisting of three members. The committee comprises Member Secretary ICSSR VK Malhotra, former Secretary of Finance Ajay Bhushan Pandey, and Principal Economic Advisor Sanjeev Sanyal. The committee reviewed and reexamined the criteria for EWS in India while keeping the observations by the Supreme Court in mind. It also examined multiple approaches that are followed for proper identification of economically weaker sections. A different criterion with some modification was also proposed to identify EWS in the future. The Centre told the Supreme Court that they had decided to review the eight lakh limit for annual income. This decision to revisit was taken after students filed a plea regarding their wants to change reservation criteria for Post-Graduate courses in medical through NEET. 

Provisions for Economically Weaker Sections

The constitution 103rd CAA Bill, 2019, was tabled by the Union Government of India. The amended article 15(6) and Article 16(6) of the constitution. It resulted in an additional 10 per cent quota, which belongs to the students that fall under EWS. It should be noted that the Economically Backward Class (EBC) and the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) are not identical in India. The Government of India defines Economically Weaker Section India. The definition of EBC and MEBC (Most Economically Backward Class) varies in different states and institutions. The eligibility for an EWS certificate is also decided based on the held property. The central government sets the income limit for central government jobs and admissions to colleges that the central government owns. Authority is provided to the state governments to amend the eligibility criteria. The state can change the income limit as well for various reasons. These amendments are valid only in state institutes (jobs or colleges). Individuals that belong to the Economically Weaker Section get 10 per cent reservation in government jobs and education in India. As an effect of this reservation, the pace of agitations for reservations slowed down. 

Conclusion

 Individuals from the EWS category do not have satisfaction with the benefits provided under this category. The EWS category does not comprise various crucial benefits like fee relaxation, age relaxation, scholarships, and house criteria. Although, The criteria for EWS in India allow many individuals to get their dream job or college. The implementation of this particular scheme differs from state to state. Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, Goa, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Kerala, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Delhi, and Bihar have successfully implemented EWS quota.