EWS Income Criteria To Remain Rs 8 Lakh: Centre to SC

In News

• A committee constituted by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which examined the income criteria for determining who are to be included among the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), submitted its report recently. The government has accepted the report and filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court.

What has the panel recommended?

• The current gross annual family income limit for EWS of Rs. 8.00 lakh or less may be retained. 
• It however excludes, irrespective of income, a person whose family has 5 acres of agricultural land and above.
• the committee has removed criteria that excluded some categories from EWS: 
  • owners of residential properties of 1,000 sq ft and above; 
  • residential plots of 100 sq yards and above in notified municipalities; and 
  • residential plots of 200 sq yards and above in areas other than the notified municipalities.

Important Constitutional Provisions regarding Reservations: 

• 103rd Amendment) Act
  • The Parliament amended the Constitution of India (103rd Amendment) Act, 2019 to provide for a 10% reservation in education and government jobs in India for a section of the General category candidates.
  • The amendment introduced economic reservation by amending Articles 15 and 16. It inserted Article 15 (6) and Article 16 (6) in the Constitution to allow reservation for the economically backward in the unreserved category. 
    • Article 15(6): Up to 10% of seats may be reserved for EWS for admission in educational institutions. Such reservations will not apply to minority educational institutions.
    • Article 16(6): It permits the government to reserve up to 10% of all government posts for the EWS. 

Other Related Articles

• Article 16(1) and 16(2) assure citizens equality of opportunity in employment or appointment to any government office.
• Article 15(1) generally prohibits any discrimination against any citizen on the grounds of religion, caste, sex or place of birth.
• Articles 15(4) and 16(4) state that the equality provisions do not prevent the government from making special provisions in matters of admission to educational institutions or jobs in favour of backward classes, particularly the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the Scheduled Tribes (STs).
• Article 16(4A) allows reservations to SCs and STs in promotions, as long as the government believes that they are not adequately represented in government services.

Arguments favouring EWS Quota

• Benefits of reservation: Government said it would not let anything come in the way of Other Backward Classes (OBC) and “poorest of the poor” getting the benefits of reservation.
• The quota is progressive: The economically weaker sections have not reaped the benefits of higher educational institutions and public employment due to their financial incapacity. 
  • The quota is progressive and could address the issues of educational and income inequality in India.
• Abysmal conditions: The reservation criteria should be economic because there are many classes other than backward classes who are living under abysmal conditions but cannot avail reservation and its intended benefits. 
• In Ram Singh v. Union of India (2015): SC asserted that social deficiencies may exist beyond the concept of caste (e.g. economic status/gender identity as in transgenders). 
• The “quota-for-poor” policy: is symptomatic of a larger failure. It replaces the principle that welfare should be the basic raison d’être of public policy, it hides the colossal failure of the state in handling questions of poverty and deprivation and, at the same time, it indicates a dead-end in policy-making itself. 

Arguments against EWS Quota

• Reservation based entirely on economic criteria is not an all-in-one solution, though family income can be one of the parameters. 
• Determining economic backwardness is a  major challenge as there are concerns regarding the inclusion and exclusion of persons under the criteria.
• In M. Nagaraj v. Union of India (2006), a Constitution Bench ruled that equality is part of the basic structure of the Constitution. The 50 per cent ceiling is a constitutional requirement without which the structure of equality of opportunity would collapse.
• The implementation of the quota is a challenge in itself as the states do not have the finances to enforce even the present and constitutionally mandated reservations.
• It washes away the constitutionally permitted gatekeeping mechanism of social and educational backwardness and makes reservation available to everyone irrespective of social backwardness.
• Reservation has also become synonymous with anti-merit, with the extension of reservation, this opinion might get further ingrained in the public psyche.

Source: TH