Articles 15(6) and 16(6) have been inserted in the Constitution, vide the Constitution (One Hundred and Third Amendment) Act, 2019.  This enables the State to provide the benefits of reservation on preferential basis to the Economically Weaker Sections (EWSs) in civil posts and services in the Government of India and admission in Educational Institutions.  Accordingly, the provision for 10% reservation to the EWS was implemented by the Government in January 2019.  The data regarding number of persons who have availed benefit of EWS reservation for appointment in Government services till date will be available with DOPT after uploading of data for the current year commence.

Instructions have been issued by the Ministry of HRD for increasing the total number of seats over a period of two years, to provide for 10% EWS reservation, without adversely affecting the proportionate seats of SCs, STs and OBCs. An amount of Rs.4315.15 crores has been sanctioned for creation of additional 2,14,766 seats (1,18,983 additional seats during 2019-20 and 9,783 additional seats during 2020-21) in 158 Central Educational Institutions.

10% reservation under EWS category is applicable to those persons who are not covered under the existing scheme of reservations for the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes.

This information was given by Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

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NB/SK/jk/SJ&E-3/09-07-2019