HI,

The EWS sub-category is effective from 2019. On 12th January 2019 EWS bill was passed by the president of India. Gujarat is the first state to pass the bill, on 14th January 2019. The Indian government has given 10% of reservations for General category candidates under the EWS sub-category. This 10% does not cover OBC, SC and ST categories.

The eligibility criteria to get an EWS certificate is defined by the government of India. Candidates should go through the EWS criteria to claim the reservation under this category. The EWS requirements are given below:

• Candidate should belong to the general category
• Candidate should not belong to any other reserved categories such as OBC, SC and ST
• Candidate’s family income should be less than 8 lakhs per annum
• The income of the family includes all the resources such as salary, agriculture, business, profession, etc.
• All the candidates whose families are the owner or have possession of such assets will be excluded from the EWS category, irrespective of family income:
  • 5 acres of agricultural land and above
  • Residential at of 1000 sq ft. and above;
  • Residential plot of 100 sq. yards and above in notified municipalities
  • The residential, plot of 200 sq. yards and above in areas other than the notified municipalities.
• All the property of the family will be clubbed together to determine the EWS status
• The term “Family” for this purpose will include the candidate who seeks the benefit of reservation, his/her parents and siblings below the age of 18 years as also his/her spouse and children below the age of 18 years.
• To apply offline, candidates have to visit the nearby certificate issuing authorities and collect the application form. Also, they can download the application form, from the official website and take a printout of it. Fill in the details in the application form and submit the form along with the required documents

The necessary EWS Certificate documents required to apply for the application form are listed here.

• Passport-sized photograph
• Aadhaar card
• ID Proof (Pan card, Voter ID, etc.)
• Land/property documents
• Affidavit/Self Declaration
• Residential proof/Domicile Certificate

The EWS certificate is issued by a Competent Authority, where they produce the Income and Asset certificate to the candidates. Then only the candidates can avail of the benefits under the EWS category. These competent authorities are:

• District Magistrate (DM) /Additional District Magistrate (ADM) / Collector/ Deputy Commissioner/ Additional Deputy Commissioner/ First Class Stipendiary/ Magistrate/ Sub-Divisional Magistrate / Executive Magistrate/ Taluka Magistrate/ Extra Assistant Commissioner
• Chief Presidency Magistrate/Additional Chief Presidency Magistrate/ Presidency Magistrate
• Revenue Officer (not below the rank of Tehsildar)
• Sub-Divisional Officer (or the area where the applicant or his family normally resides).