Center appoints committee to review EWS criteria

Constitutional Provision for Economically Weaker Section (EWS)

• The 103 Constitutional amendment act 2019  provides  for reservation to Economically Weaker Section(EWS) 

The main points of this amendment act are as follows:

• It amended article 15 and 16  and introduced a new clause  15(6), and  16(6) 
• Article 15(6) provides for 10% reservation in government educational institutions for EWS.
• Article  16(6) provides for 10% reservation in Public employment for EWS.
• The act gives the central government power  to lay down the criteria for determining EWS.

 Current  Central government criteria for determining EWS

• Currently, the EWS quota can be availed by persons with an annual gross household income of up to ₹8 lakh.

Who cannot avail the benefit of EWS 

• However the families that own over 5 acres of agricultural land,
•  a house over 1,000 square feet, 
• a plot of over 100-yards in a notified municipal area or over a 200-yards plot in a non-notified municipal area.
•  Persons belonging to communities that already have reservations such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the "creamy layer" of Other Backward Classes are also not eligible for reservation under this quota.

 NEET

The National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), formerly the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT), is the qualifying test for MBBS and BDS programmes in Indian medical and dental colleges. It is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA)