After the Central government decided to provide 10% reservation to the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in education and employment opportunities, aspirants in Telangana are finding it difficult to obtain the necessary certificate to avail themselves of the quota in the absence of any norms for issuing the same.
Candidates who are applying for thousands of jobs in various departments of the Central government are running from pillar to post to obtain the certificate, only to be told by the authorities that they are yet to receive instructions from the government on the methods to be followed to judge the eligibility of the candidates.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) that recently released its notification for civil services has asked the students to obtain the EWS certificate by August 1 this year since candidates are yet to get a hang of the facility. “We are doing the rounds of Tehsildar office and the Collectorate only to be told that they are yet to receive the instructions from the Centre,” an aspirant’s father, Yellamraju Sudhakar, said.
Though the UPSC has given the candidates time till August 1, they say the guidelines also reveal that the necessary certificates have to be obtained before the last date of submission of the applications, which is ending on March 18. Moreover, other agencies like the Indian Railways have not even revealed the submission dates, said an aspirant. “There is ambiguity in the submission of certificates and the Telangana government should take immediate steps to instruct their officials on what to do like in some other States,” a Civil Services aspirant said.
The Rajasthan government recently issued orders for income and asset certificates to be issued through e-governance centres of the State and Central governments.
Collector of a Telangana district, wishing anonymity, said several aspirants were also approaching the Collectorates after the local Tehsildars expressed their inability to issue them certificates in the absence of any instruction. The Central government has introduced 10% EWS quota for general candidates whose family income should be below ₹8 lakh per annum.
Moreover, their family should not possess more than five acres of agriculture land and also should not own any residential property of more than 1,000 sq. ft. Their family should not own a residential plot of 100 sq. yards and above in notified municipalities or residential plot of 200 sq. yards in areas other than the notified municipalities.
