NEW DELHI, Jan 2: The Centre has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating
that the Rs 8 lakh annual income criterion for the reservation of the EWS (Economically
Weaker Sections) in the NEET-PG admissions in the all-India quota will remain.
It said it was accepting the recommendations of a three-member committee set
up to evaluate the EWS criteria after the apex court had raised questions over
a lack of methodology in determining the indicators for fixing the income limit.
As the committee stated that the implementation of the changes now will create
problems, the recommendations will apply prospectively and will not affect the
current admissions. “The existing system which is going on since 2019, if disturbed
at the end or fag-end of the process would create more complications than expected
both for the beneficiaries as well as for the authorities,” it pointed out.
The committee submitted its report on December 31 and the Centre filed the
affidavit same day. The report supported the Rs 8 lakh limit that has been in
place since 2019 and suggested changes on applying the limit. It said, “EWS
may, however exclude, irrespective of income, a person whose family has 5 acres
of agricultural land and above." Also the residential asset criteria will go.
The committee comprised of former Finance Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey, Member
Secretary ICSSR VK Malhotra and Principal Economic Advisor to the Centre Sanjeev
Sanyal.
Earlier, when the Supreme Court had asked the Centre, 'How did you arrive at
Rs 8 lakh as annual income limit for EWS in connection with the NEET-PG admissions,
the Centre had said on November 25 that it would revisit the criterion to determine
EWS for reservation benefits and had sought four weeks to complete the exercise.
The court had noted, “You can’t just pull out Rs 8 lakh from anywhere. There
must be some data. Sociological, demographic.”
The EWS reservation was introduced under Articles 15 and 16 in the 103rd Constitutional
amendment which state that the indicators of economic disadvantage may be notifiued
by the State. But the OBC criteria cannot be simply copied. The the nature of
the exercise undertaken in order to determine the criteria must be disclosed,
the court had said.
On October 15, when the petitioners submitted that the dates for the counselling
had been fixed the Centre assured that the counselling would not take place
till the matter is settled.
The July 29 notification of the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) providing
27% reservation for the OBC and 10% for the EWS categories for NEET-PG admissions
in the all-India quota was challenged in the apex court through several petitions.
The issue pending in the court, the admissions were kept in abeyance.
Last month the resident doctors had launched an agitation over the delay in
admissions which was called off last Friday on the Centre's assurance to announce
the counselling dates soon.