Central Government Considers Plan To Implement EWS Quota In Minority Educational Institutions, Claims Report

The Union Government is looking to extend the 10 per cent quota for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) to minority education institutions, reports Economic Times (ET).

"The matter is likely to be taken up by the Cabinet soon and if need be, the government may even pass an ordinance,” a senior government official was quoted as saying.

The Constitution (103 Amendment) Act, 2019 passed by the Parliament earlier this month (January) provides for ten per cent EWS quota for general category in both public and private educational institutions including the IITs and IIMs. However, minority educational institutions were not covered under this provision.

The new reservation will be applicable over and above the total fifty per cent quota already reserved for scheduled castes (SCs), scheduled tribes (STs) and other backward classes (OBCs).

However, presently even the quotas reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in state-run educational institutes are not applicable to those run by minority communities.

More Seats

The government has stated that it will create supernumerary seats across 40,000 colleges and 900 universities throughout the country to meet additional demand. “Nearly 25 per cent seats will be added to ensure that the reservation does not disturb the existing quota for SC, ST and other categories,” Union Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD) Prakash Javadekar said.

Also Read: Number Of Accepted Minority Status Applications Drop To 86 From 595 Last Year, Union Minister Informs Rajya Sabha