Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Thursday announced his government’s decision to implement 10% reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections in the state, ANI reported.
“There is a need to implement 10% reservation in jobs and education to those in economically weaker classes,” Rao said, according to News18. “We have decided to implement 10% reservations to the EWS [Economically Weaker Sections] while continuing the reservations to those who are already enjoying the benefits. 50% reservations are being implemented to the weaker sections in the state. With 10% reservation to the EWS, total reservations will go up to 60%.”
A formal order on the decision will be issued following a high-level meeting in two or three days, the chief minister said, according to Telangana Today.
The decision came two days after upper caste communities in the state threatened to hold protests if the quota was not implemented in jobs and education by January 30, reported The Times of India. “Thousands of students have lost an opportunity of avialing reservations in the last two years,” Tulasi Srinivas of Telangana Brahmana Seva Sangh Samakhya told the newspaper. “Left with no other option, we have decided to first request the government to implement it or else we would hit the streets.”
In January 2019, the Centre had decided to provide the 10% reservation based on the 103rd Amendment of the Constitution, without affecting 50% reservation being provided to the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward communities. Applicants from families with an annual income under Rs 4 lakh are eligible for this.
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