In Kerala, LDF government started 10% EWS quota two years ago
The state introduced the 10% EWS reservation two years ago without impacting the existing 50% reservation for weaker sections and SC/ST segments. Instead, this 10% was hived off the 50% general quota.
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FILE-Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan interview in New Delhi(Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)The CPI(M)-led Kerala government has already implemented the 10% reservation for people belonging to economically weaker sections (EWS) in the general category in the state and subordinate services, as per the 103th amendment of the Constitution, which the Supreme Court upheld on Monday.
The state introduced the 10% EWS reservation two years ago without impacting the existing 50% reservation for weaker sections and SC/ST segments. Instead, this 10% was hived off the 50% general quota.
Sources in the Public Service Commission (PSC), the state government’s recruitment wing, said the Commission had begun the process to incorporate a 10% EWS quota in November 2020, following the state Cabinet’s decision to implement the Centre’s decision to that effect.
“Now all notifications for recruitment mention the EWS quota,” a source in PSC said. “However, appointments after including the provision for 10% quota for EWS have begun only recently due to the time taken to complete a recruitment process.”
The state government had implemented the Centre’s decision on the basis of a report from a commission led by Justice K Sasidharan Nair (retd). The commission, which submitted the report in January 2020 following the 103rd amendment of the Constitution, had recommended that people not covered under the scheme of reservation for SC/ST and OBCs, and whose family has gross annual income up to Rs 4 lakh, are to be identified as EWS for the benefit of reservation provided under Clause (6) of Article 15 and Clause (6) of Article 16 of the Constitution.
Besides, a person, to be eligible under this quota, should also not hold more than 2.5 acres of land in a gram panchayat area or more than 75 cents in a municipal area or 50 cents in municipal corporation area.
The decision was hailed by upper caste communities, mainly the influential Nair community, and Christians, particularly Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, which are among the ‘forward’ communities in Kerala. While several Muslim organisations and ‘backward’ Hindu outfits had protested, the government had assuaged their fears by saying that existing reservation for backward and SC/ST communities would remain intact.
Sources in PSC said backward communities had raised a concern over reducing the general quota from 50% to 40% in the wake of the decision to give 10% EWS quota. “Earlier, anyone could compete to get included in the merit list in 50% general quota, irrespective of their category of community. Now, the share in the general category has been reduced to 40%, thus reducing the space for merit,” the source in PSC said.
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