Hyderabad: Confusion prevails over the implementation of the 10 per cent reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in education and employment in Telangana.
Official sources in the Secretariat said the state government would appoint a committee to study the implementation of EWS quota in various states and make recommendations to the state government. The implementation of the EWS quota is delayed by over two years in the state.
In January 2019, the Narendra Modi government at the Centre passed a Constitutional amendment bill in Parliament seeking to provide 10 per cent reservations for EWS in education and employment. However, the Centre left the decision to states on when to implement the EWS quota and whether to implement it at all.
While several states started implementing this in 2019 and 2020, the Telangana government is yet to act.
Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had on January 21 this year announced the state government's decision to implement the EWS quota. Accordingly, chief secretary Somesh Kumar issued a GO (government order) on February 8. However, no guidelines were issued so far.
The state government has to first take a decision on creating supernumerary seats in educational institutions and supernumerary jobs in government departments to ensure that the existing reservations amounting to 50 per cent extended to BCs, SCs, STs and Minorities are not disturbed.
The remaining 50 per cent quota is under the open category under which all categories irrespective of caste and religion can compete.
To implement a 10 per cent EWS quota, the state government needs to create supernumerary seats and jobs. However, the government is confused whether to create 10 per cent or 20 per cent supernumerary seats and jobs. This is because the Centre has created 20 per cent supernumerary seats and
jobs to implement the EWS quota. Of this, 10 per cent is extended to EWS and the rest 10 per cent is distributed among reserved categories.
Neighbouring Andhra Pradesh has created 10 per cent supernumerary seats only for EWS. In this backdrop, officials in the TS government are confused over which model to adopt. Indications are that the EWS quota implementation will be delayed further till the committee submits its report.
