NEET PG admissions: Rs 8 lakh income limit for EWS reservation to remain, Centre tells SC
New Delhi: With the Supreme Court hearing in the NEET-PG admission case scheduled for January 6, the Central Government has filed an affidavit saying the Rs 8 lakh annual income criterion for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) reservation will remain.
The Central Government has informed the Supreme Court that it has decided to accept the recommendation of a three-member panel to retain the current gross annual family income limit for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) of Rs 8 lakh or less.
In an affidavit in the NEET-PG admission case, the Central Government said the panel has recommended that “only those families whose annual income is up to Rs 8 lakh would be eligible to get the benefit of EWS reservation”.
The government had constituted a member committee comprising Ajay Bhushan Pandey, former finance secretary, VK Malhotra, member secretary, ICSSR and Sanjeev Sanyal, Principal Economic Adviser to Centre, on November 30, last year as per the assurance given to the Supreme Court to revisit the criteria for determining the EWS.
Also read | More curbs in Haryana; schools, cinema halls shut amid Covid threat
In its report submitted to the Central Government on December 31, the committee said, “The current gross annual family income limit for EWS of Rs 8 lakh or less may be retained. In other words only those families whose annual income is up to Rs 8 lakh would be eligible to get the benefit of EWS reservation in NEET-PG admissions.”
It said that the definition of ‘family’ and income would remain the same as those in the officer memorandum dated January 17, 2019.
The panel recommended, “EWS may, however exclude, irrespective of income, a person whose family has 5 acres of agricultural land and above. The residential asset criteria may altogether be removed.”
The panel said in case of admissions to educational institutions, sudden adoption of new criteria inevitably and necessarily would delay the admission process by several months. Notably, on October 21, the Supreme Court had asked the Central Government whether it would like to revisit the criteria for determining the EWS category for reservation in NEET-PG admissions.
Also read | Cold wave to abate in North India, western disturbances coming: IMD
-PTC News
