The Maharashtra government will grant 10 percent reservation in jobs and education to those who are economically weak in the state.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted a graphic that said families, whose collective annual income is less than Rs. 8 lakh — through sources such as farming, salaries, business-industry — would be treated as economically backward in this case.
“Maharashtra Cabinet 10 percent reservation for the economically poor in Maharashtra,” Mr. Fadnavis said on Twitter.
The current reservation level in the state is 68 percent and this figure will rise to 78 percent after the decision to grant EWS quota.
The decision is in line with the Centre’s recent move of granting 10 percent quota to the financially weak from general category, Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said.
He said the benefit would be effective for job recruitment or admissions in educational institutes from February 1, 2019, onward.
According to the graphic posted by Mr. Fadnavis, 10 percent seats/posts would be available for the economically poor in recruitment for government services and admissions in educational institutes.
It explains that the aforesaid percent of posts would be reserved in government establishments, semi-government establishments, corporations/urban governing agencies, rural local governing agencies and authorities.
However, the opposition Nationalist Congress Party claimed the quota move was not going to benefit people.
NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said the criteria for granting benefits under the government’s decision meant 90 percent of the general category beneficiaries “would get crowded in the 10 percent quota slot”.
“So, it is not going to benefit anyone as is being made out (by the government). Plus, it will be an injustice to the poor in whose name the decision has been taken,” Mr. Malik said.
