EWS students in State get a raw deal

Girish Menon
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JULY 04, 2019 00:28 IST

SHARE ARTICLE

Criteria for Central reservation norms not suited to State

Kerala students belonging to the economically weaker sections (EWS) of the

forward community seeking admissions to medical colleges in the State will
not benefit from the 10% reservation for this segment because the
identification criteria do not suit the social reality that exists in the State.

The first Narendra Modi government had amended Article 15 and 16 of the
Constitution to provide for 10% reservation for the economically weaker
sections of the forward communities in government and private education
institutions, aided or otherwise, and in government jobs.

Candidates are required to produce certificates from designated officials, and

in the case of Kerala, it is for the tahsildar to attest the income certificates for
their eligibility.

However the criteria fixed for identification of beneficiary virtually excludes

candidates from Kerala. According to the office memorandum of the Union
Department of Personnel and Training, persons whose family own or
possesses residential flat of 1,000 sq ft and above, residential plot of 100 sq
yards and above in notified municipalities and residential plot of 200 sq yards
and above in areas other than the notified municipalities will be excluded
from being identified as EWS.

This means that Kerala EWS candidates who own 2.3 cents in municipalities
and 4.6 cents and above in panchayats will not be eligible for reservation.

Given the social reality in the State, the 10% EWS reservation will be
restricted to just those who live in rented premises.
“The criteria have been fixed in relation to North Indian States. In Kerala, the
social reality is different. Even in housing schemes being implemented by the
government, at least 3 cents is required,” said Congress MP, M.K. Raghavan,
who has taken up this issue in right earnest.

Seats increased
In pursuance of the Central government’s decision, the Medical Council of
India sanctioned a 10% increase in the number of medical seats to meet the
EWS reservation norms without affecting the benefits of other reserved
communities. Accordingly, the MCI sanctioned an increase of 155 seats in
seven medical colleges. With July 15 fixed as the last date for closing
admissions to medical courses, it is highly likely that the quota would go
unutilised, Mr. Raghavan said. He also feared that EWS students in Kerala
would have lost out in admissions to other professional courses because of
this discrepancy.