BHUBANESWAR: A family which owns five-acre agriculture land or above is not eligible for inclusion in the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category, irrespective of family income.
As per the Odisha Miscellaneous Certificates (Amendment) Rules, 2019, the eligibility to get EWS certificate is not only purely based on annual family income but also on property held by the family.
The income and asset certificate will be granted to a person belonging to EWS whose gross annual family income is below Rs 8 lakh and is not covered under the scheme of reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other backward classes.
People having residential flat of 1000 sqft or above and residential plot of 100 sq yards or 900 sq ft or above in municipal corporation or municipality/NAC area and residential plot of 200 sq yards or 1800 sq ft or above in the places other than urban areas will be excluded for being categorised as EWS.
The property held by a family in different locations would be clubbed while applying to determine EWS status.
The family applying for income and asset certificate under EWS category will include the person seeking benefit or reservation, his or her parents and siblings below the age of 18 as also his or her spouse and children below 18 years.
People belonging to the EWS category can avail the benefit of reservation in education and civil posts and Government services.
While income limit has been set by the Centre for admission to government-run colleges and Central government jobs, state governments have been authorised to extend the income limit for candidates seeking reservation under EWS category in the state-owned colleges and state government jobs.
Provisions for EWS were made after the Economic Weaker Section Reservation Bill was passed in the Parliament and assented by the President in January.
The bill ensures 10 per cent reservations to the poor and lower middle-class people in upper castes in the general category.