3-Aug-2022: Scholarship for EWS Students

The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment is implementing an umbrella scheme namely PM Young Achievers Scholarship Award Scheme for Vibrant India (PM –YASASVI) under which Post-Matric Scholarship is provided to the Economically Backward Category students. Also, from this year, the Department is implementing following sub-schemes under PM YASASVI for quality education of Economically Backward Category students:

1. Top Class School for OBC, EBC and DNT students: This Scheme will cover OBC/EBC/DNT students for pursuing studies from Class IX to XIIth in top repute school shortlisted by the Central Government. The grants will be provided for tuition fee etc. as required by the school, subject to a ceiling of Rs. 75,000/- per annum per student of class 9 and 10 and Rs. 1,25,000/- per annum per student of class 11 and 12. The students will be selected based on merits in Computer based test namely “ YASASVI ENTRANCE TEST (YET)” to be conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA). State-wise slots have been allocated and target beneficiaries for 2022-23 have been kept 15,000.
2. Top Class College for OBC, EBC and DNT students: This scheme will cover OBC/EBC/DNT students for pursuing studies beyond class XIIth. The Scheme will operate in all the institutions notified by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for every financial year. All the IIMs / IITs/ IIITs / AIIMSs/ NITs/NIFTs/ NIDs/ Indian Institutes of Hotel Management, National Law Universities and other Central Government Institutions will be eligible to be included in the Scheme. The students, who secured admission in the notified institutions, will be awarded scholarship to meet the requirements for full tuition fee and non-refundable charges up to a ceiling of Rs. 2.00 lakh per annum along with living expenses Rs.3000/-per month per student, books and stationery @ Rs. 5000/- per annum per student and one time assistance of Rs 45,000 for latest computer/laptop. Around 259 institutions have been shortlisted among which 15,000 slots will be distributed for year 2022-23.

9-Feb-2022: Income limit for OBC/EWS

The annual income limit of the family from all sources for the EWS group of General category for availing the benefit of reservation is fixed at Rs.8,00,000/-.

The annual parental income limit for the sections of the Other Backward Classes, who do not fall with the other conditions prescribed for determination of Creamy Layer, is Rs. 8 lakh.

Articles 15(5) and Articles 16(5) enable the State to make special provisions for the advancement of socially and educationally backward classes of citizens and provide reservation to them in admissions to educational institutions and recruitment to Government jobs while Articles 15(6) and 16(6) enable the State to make similar special provisions for the advancement of economically weaker sections of citizens. However, the Constitution does not give the mandate to prescribe different yardsticks for economic parity of the two communities.

The annual income limit for creamy layer for the OBCs was last revised in the year 2017 and has remained unchanged since then.

15-Dec-2021: Criteria for EWS Reservation

The EWS reservation of ten percent in employment and admission in educational institutions has been implemented as per The Constitution (one hundred and three) Amendment Act 2019. This has been challenged in Supreme Court and the matter is under consideration of Supreme Court.

The annual family income limit of Rs.8 lakh to identify EWS beneficiaries was fixed after a detailed study.

14-Dec-2021: Income Limit Fixed For EWS

Persons who are not covered under the existing scheme of reservations for the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes and whose family has gross annual income below Rs.8.00 lakh are to be identified as EWSs for the benefit of reservation.

The annual family income. The same income limit has been adopted by the Government for determination of EWS beneficiaries.

The prescribed condition for determination of OBC candidates in Creamy layer and for determination of EWS candidates are entirely different except that in both cases the income limit of Rs.8.00 lakh per annum is prescribed.

3-Aug-2021: EWS reservation

Department of Personnel & Training who is handling the work of recruitment in Government service have informed that they are not having the information regarding the number of persons who have availed the benefits of EWS reservation in appointment to Government service till date.

By virtue of Entry 41 of State List in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India, the respective States are required to implement the provisions relating to State Public Services. As per available information the following States have implemented ten per cent reservation to EWS:- (1) Uttarakhand (2) Gujarat (3) Karnataka (4) Jharkhand (5) Maharashtra (6) Mizoram (7) Delhi (8) J&K (9) Goa (10)Assam (11) Telangana and (12) Andhra Pradesh.

A total of 2,14,766 additional seats were approved to be created to in the central educational institutions; and an expenditure of Rs. 4,315.15 Cr was approved to be incurred to improve the infrastructure in the higher educational institutions.

6-Jun-2019: Haryana government withdraws EBPG quota

The Haryana government has withdrawn its quotas of posts kept reserved under the Economically Backward Persons in General Category (EBPG) and Backward Class (Block-C) in government jobs and state-run educational institutions. The government has also asked all the departments of the state government to release reserved posts from the quota into the General/ unreserved category.

Besides EBPG, the decision will have impact on six castes – Jats, Jat Sikhs, Muslim Jats, Tyagis, Rors and Bishnois – that were included in backward class (Block-C) category.

EBPG quota was withdrawn in view of reservation provided under the Economic Weaker Section (EWS) by the central government. Since Economically Weaker Section reservation has come into effect, there is no requirement to continue with reservation of EBPG and such reservation is hereby withdrawn, the state government’s June 5 order stated.

The government has asked all the departments that in case they had withheld EBPG posts, such posts may be released and requisition for such posts may be sent to the appropriate recruitment authority, treating such withheld posts to be under the General/ Unreserved category.

In its order dated July 15, 2014, the state government had prescribed reservation for EPBG category at 5 per cent for Group A and B posts; and 10 per cent for Group C & D posts. The matter was reconsidered by the government in the light of reservation for Economically Weaker Sections that was prescribed on February 25, 2019. Since the posts that were kept reserved for EBPG could not be merged/ converted to general/ unreserved category, the government had to withdraw its July 15 order, which was done on June 5. Similarly, under the Backward Class (C) category, there was 6 per cent quota in Group-A and B posts and 10 per cent quota in Group-C and D posts.

Jats and five other castes were notified as Backward Class caste (Block-C) through The Haryana Backward Classes (Reservation in Services and Admission in Educational Institutions Act), 2016. However, it was challenged in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The court had imposed a stay on it. This, Jats and other five castes could not avail quota benefit in government jobs and admissions in educational institutions. Now, with the government withdrawing this notification, the Jats and other castes shall atleast avail benefit under the Central government’s 10 per cent EWS quota, if they fulfill the eligibility criteria.