10% EWS quota in higher education institutions from 2019-20, says Prakash Javadekar

NEW DELHI, JANUARY 16: 10 percent reservation for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) will be implemented across 40, 000 colleges and 900 Universities in the country from the upcoming academic session 2019-20. Union HRD Minister, Prakash Javadekar has said that 10 percent quota for EWS will be over and above the existing quotas for SCs, STs and OBCs and General seats.

Recently, Parliament cleared the 124th Constitutional Amendment, paving way for 10 per cent reservation for Economically Backward Sections in the General Category.

General Category family with an annual income of less than Rs 8 lakhs, or which owns less than five acres of farmland, or who have a house lesser than 1,000 sq feet in a town (or 100 sq yard in a notified municipal area), will be able to get the reservation.

Javadekar informed that adequate additional seats will be created in these colleges and universities to implement the quota for EWS. The UGC and AICTE will be provided the operational mandate within a week to implement the quota.

Government plans to add 25 percent additional seats in higher education institutions to adjust the new quota. He added, “If we have 100 students going for education, with this quota we will have 125 pursuing higher education. The implementation of the new rule will not disturb the existing reservation policy for SC/ST and OBC.”