NEW DELHI, Dec 1: The Centre has appointed a three-member committee to review
the criteria set for identifying the EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) for
the purpose of reservation provided under the new rules for jobs and admission
to educational institutions. The committeee was formed following the Supreme
Court questioning the rationale behind fixing the income criteria of Rs 8 lakh
for determining the eligibility.
Former Finance Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey will head the committee, which
has been given three weeks to complete the review, the Ministry of Social Justice
and Empowerment announced on Tuesday. The other two members are member-secretary
of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) V K Malhotra and Principal
Economic Advisor to the Government Sanjay Sanyal.
The committee will review the criteria for identifying the EWS sections while
keeping in mind the Supreme Court observations of October 21, 2021, the statement
added. “It will also examine various approaches so far followed in the country
for identifying economically weaker sections, and recommend criteria that may
be adopted for identifying EWS category in future,” it said.
The court had questioned the decision to adopt the criteria of annual income
of Rs 8 lakh for determining the eligibility for the EWS. It posed the question
if it would not be arbitrary to have the same income limit of Rs 8 lakh for
both the EWS and OBC categories, as the former is not about social and educational
backwardness.
Since the amendment Act has not been stayed by the apex court, the Government
had issued a notification on July 29 introducing 10% EWS quota along with 27%
quota for OBC within AIQ seats in NEET medical admissions from this academic
year. By this decision, 2,500 PG seats in Government medical colleges would
go to OBCs and 1,000 to those from EWS.
The committee has been set up following the Supreme Court intervention in the
matter of reservation criteria. The next hearing is on January 6, 2022.
The 10% EWS quota was introduced under the 103rd Constitution (Amendment) Act,
2019 which is under challenge before a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court.
On Thursday, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta had told the apex court,
"In the matter I have instruction to say that the Government has decided to
revisit the criteria. We will formulate a committee and take a fresh decision
within 4 weeks. Till then the counselling (NEET) shall remain stayed only."
