Government constitutes committee for revisiting criteria for EWS reservation

NEW DELHI: The central government has formed a committee to review criteria for determining Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category, secretary, R Subrahmanyam, ministry of social justice and empowerment announced on social media.

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“Government today appointed the committee for revisiting the criteria for Economically Weaker Section reservations,” Subrahmanyam said in a tweet.

Government today appointed the committee for revisitng the criteria for Economically Weaker Section reservations @MSJEGOI @PIB_India pic.twitter.com/qLC7oMOOWN

— R. Subrahmanyam (@subrahyd) November 30, 2021

According to an official statement shared by Subrahmanyam, the committee would:

• Revisit the criteria in determining EWS category
• Examine various approaches followed in the nation to identify EWS category
• Recommend criteria that can be adopted for identifying the category in future

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On November 25, Centre told the Supreme Court that it has decided to review Rs 8 lakh criteria for determining Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category in National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) All India Quota (AIQ) and will come up with a fresh decision within four weeks, as per a LiveLaw report.

Justice DY Chandrachud had said, “we don't want to push them in a situation where they do something in an improper way” and agreed with Centre’s decision to take four weeks for the process.

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On October 21, the top court had asked the Centre whether it would like to revisit the limit of rupees eight lakh annual income, fixed for determining the EWS category for reservation in NEET admissions for medical courses. The top court had clarified that it is not embarking into the policy domain but is only trying to ascertain whether constitutional principles have adhered or not.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Vikram Nath, and BV Nagarathna was annoyed as no affidavits were filed by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT) and formulated questions to be answered by the Centre in a week.

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The Centre had earlier justified before the Supreme Court its decision to set the limit of Rs 8 lakh annual income fixed for determining the EWS category. It said the principle of fixing the amount is rational and in keeping with Articles 14, 15 and 16 of the Constitution.

NEET PG Counselling 2021 stands cancelled until a decision is taken in this regard.