Economically Weaker Section (EWS) Quota

Context:

• Recently, government has announced the EWS quota for the medical education.

The Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act provides for 10% reservation in government jobs and

• educational institutions for the economically weaker section in the unreserved category.
• The Act amends Article 15 and 16 to provide for reservation based on economic backwardness.

More about EWS quota:

• It is in addition to 50% reservation already provided to SC, ST and OBC communities.
• Declaration of EWS is based on fulfilling of following criteria:
  • Income should be less than 8 Lakh per annum.
  • One should not have more than 5 acre farm land.
  • Home size should be less than 1000 sq. feet.

Positives of EWS reservation:

• It provides legitimacy to already existing reservation. Now, universities won’t be segregated between merit candidates and reserved communities.
• It is secular in nature and includes all religions: Muslims, Christians
• Economic justice is the philosophy behind it. In an increasing economic society, class becomes a tool of oppression.
• It address contemporary reservation movements like Jats reservation, Patel reservation.
• 8 Lakh is creamy layer identified in OBC reservation. Hence, 8 Lakh is justified as a basis of class criteria.

Concerns/drawbacks of EWS reservation:

• It violates Indira Swahney judgement of Supreme court which applied 50% cap on the reservation.
• Social justice has been the philosophy behind reservation. Upper caste are at the top of caste pyramid and doesn’t require any reservation.
• It is not based on any scientific data. A survey of 450 educational institutions had found 28% students belonging to EWS section.
• The criteria qualifies around 90-95% population.
• The reservation doesn’t make any sense when jobs are on the rise in private sector. Public sector is already declining and not creating many jobs.
• This reservation move can be abused by changing the economic status by selling property or showing lower income.

Conclusion:

• Administration must ensure that non-deserving population doesn’t get the EWS certificate.
• Genuine poor and needy section should get the opportunity.