UT implements 10% quota for general category poor

Ramkrishan Upadhyay
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, February 14

The UT Administration today became the first UT to implement 10 per cent quota for the economically weak among upper castes in government jobs.

The Administration notified the policy, directing all departments to provide 10 per cent reservation to the general category poor in jobs in all civil posts and services.

In a letter issued to the departments, the Administration said the UT had decided to implement the quota in letter and spirit on the directions of the Centre.

The Central Government had passed a law to provide 10 per cent reservation to the general category poor in jobs and educational institutions. An officer of the UT Administration said while the respective states were required to implement it after passing a law in the Assembly, Chandigarh, being a UT, had implemented the directions issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension.

The notification stated that persons who were not covered under the existing schemes of reservation for the Scheduled Castes  and Scheduled Tribes and socially backwards classes  and whose family had a gross annual  income  below Rs 8 lakh were to be identified as  EWS  for the benefit  of reservation.

The income shall  include  income  from all sources  such as salary, agriculture, business and profession. Persons  whose  family owns or possesses any of the following assets shall be  excluded from being identified  as  EWS  irrespective  of the family income: 5 acre of agriculture land  and above, residential flats of 1,000 sq  ft and above, residential plots  of 100 sq  yard and above in notified  municipalities and  residential plot of  200  sq yard and above in areas  other than the  notified municipalities. The UT has already decided to  implement the quota  in educational institutions.