Stop issuing certificates for EWS quota, TN tells collectors

Stop issuing certificates for EWS quota, TN tells collectors

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:14.06.2020

In a major policy decision, the state government has instructed revenue officials not to issue income and asset certificates for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in general category. It has also withdrawn circulars issued last year permitting officials to issue certificates for reservation under EWS. The government circular dated June 4 has been sent to all district collectors asking them to instruct tahsildars not to issue such certificates for EWS applicants.

“The state insists the certificates need not be given since it has not adopted the EWS quota. It has not taken a policy decision yet,” said a senior official. A section in the government, however, expressed concerns about the prospects of EWS beneficiaries getting affected in accessing central government jobs and admission to professional courses.

Incidentally, the state cabinet led by Edappadi K Palaniswami will meet on Monday to give its nod for promulgation of an ordinance providing for 10% horizontal reservation for government school students in medical courses.

No mention of reservation for poor in Constitution: DMK

The BJP government at the Centre introduced the quota for the poor in the general category, hitherto not covered by any reservation, under 103rd constitutional amendment, the validity of which has been challenged in the court. In its affidavit before the Supreme Court in January, the Centre said the states were free to decide on implementing the quota system. “The state government need not give EWS quota because it is enabling constitutional amendment and not a mandatory fundamental right as such to be enforceable in the court of law. This is the discretion of the state to do or not to do,” senior advocate K M Vijayan said. The state government has taken note of the open category, which is less than 4% of the population in the state.

It was only on Thursday did the Supreme Court refuse to hear a batch of petitions from political parties in Tamil Nadu seeking 50% OBC quota for medical courses under All India Quota (AIQ), on the ground that no fundamental right had been violated entitling parties to move the Supreme Court directly.

In its guidelines issued in May last year in line with the constitutional amendment, the state government said persons not covered under the existing scheme of reservations for the SCs, the STs, and the socially and educationally backward classes and whose family had a gross annual income below Rs 8 lakh are to be identified as EWSs for the benefit of reservation.

An all-party meeting convened by the AIADMK government in July turned inconclusive, as parties like Congress, BJP and CPM supported the quota and DMK and the regional parties opposed it. The government decided to seek legal opinion on the issue. “ The Constitution talks of reservation only for socially and educationally backward, and there is no mention of economically backward,” DMK MP and spokesperson T K S Elangovan said.