No change in Rs 8-lakh annual income limit for economically weaker section quota, Centre tells SC

The Centre on Saturday told the Supreme Court that it will retain the Rs 8-lakh annual income limit as one of the criteria to provide reservation to a person under the Economically Weaker Section category, Live Law reported.

It based the decision on a report of a committee formed to deliberate on the matter. The panel submitted its report to the Centre on December 31.

“The committee has come to the conclusion that the existing annual income criteria of Rs 8 lakh is not over-inclusive,” the panel said in its report to Centre, according to the Hindustan Times.

The Centre also accepted the committee’s recommendation to omit the residential asset criteria for a person to be considered under the Economically Weaker Section category, Live Law reported.

Previously, a person who owned either five acres of agricultural land or a residential flat of 1,000 square feet and above in notified or non-notified municipalities was not considered a beneficiary.

These rules, however, will not apply to the ongoing admissions, including the National Entrance cum Eligibility Test, or NEET, counselling.

The government announced its decision in an affidavit that was filed in response to a group of petitions by NEET aspirants challenging 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes and 10% reservation for the Economically Weaker Section category in all-India quota seats in postgraduate medical…

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