The state government on Tuesday issued orders for issue of income and asset certificates by sub-divisional officers (SDOS) for anyone to claim benefit of reservation under the economically weaker sections (EWS) category.

According to the order issued by principal secretary of department of social justice and empowerment department, applications for the certificate will be made online through state and central government’s e-governance centres.

HT has a copy of the order. The Modi government introduced 124th Constitution Amendment Bill in the Parliament to provide 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) among the general category candidates in government jobs and education.

The EWS reservation has been introduced without tampering the existing quotas for scheduled castes (SCS), scheduled tribes (STS) and other backward classes (OBCS) people.

According to the order by the Rajasthan government, which is a follow-up of earlier orders from the Government of India, the benefit of reservation under EWS can be availed upon production of an income and asset certificate issued by competent authority.

The state government has circulated the format of application for this certificate, which the March 12 order says, will be issued online.

The certificate will be issued to people whose family gross annual income is below ₹8 lakh, and this includes income from all sources such as salary agriculture, business profession for the financial year prior to the year of application. Any person whose family owns or possesses any of the following assets shall be excluded from being identified as EWSS, irrespective of the family income: 5 acres of agriculture land and above; residential flat of 1000 sq ft and above; residential plot of 100 sq yards or above in notified municipalities; residential plot of 200 sq yards and above in areas other than the notified municipalities.

The property held by a family in different locations or different places/ cities would be clubbed while applying the land or property holding test to determine EWS status. Family for this purpose includes the person who seeks benefit of reservation, his/ her parents and siblings below the age of 18 as also his spouse and children below the age of 18.

The order said the appointing under EWS reservation shall be provisional and subject to the income and asset certificate being verified through the proper channels and if the verification reveals that the claim to belong to EWS is fake/ false the services will be terminated forthwith without assigning any further reason and action under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for production of fake/ false certificate.

Earlier, the Rajasthan government’s department of personnel notified the Rajasthan Various Services (Amendment) Rules, 2019, on February 19 for providing 10% EWS reservation.

First Published: Mar 14, 2019 15:14 IST