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.