What is the EWS 15% cut-off included in NEET 2020? What is its significance?

The Central Government of India recently introduced EWS Reservation. 10% quota is provided for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) among General Category candidates in government jobs and educational institutions. This is done by adding clauses for the same in the Indian Constitution (103rd Constitution Amendment Act, 2019).

The government had said that the reservation of EWS of general category will be given without tampering the existing reservation quotas for SC, ST and OBCs people.

Well, that’s only half of the story.

Even if your reservation quota is untouched, the merit quota can shrink!

Obviously, it will. This is because the new reservation for EWS is carved out from the existing merit quota.

If you belong to general merit, you can compete only in 40.50% seats as 59.50 seats are reserved.

If you are an ST, you can compete in 48% seats (7.5% reservation quota seats+ 40.5% merit seats).

On the same lines, SC category candidates can compete in 55.5% seats (15% reservation quota seats+ 40.5% merit seats) while OBC category candidates can target 67.5% seats (27 % reservation quota seats+ 40.5% merit seats).

the number of seats in which each category can compete has come down (except General EWS).

If there are 1000 vacancies, General Merit candidates have to be on the top 405 ranks to get a selection (in this case, 595 seats are reserved, which need fewer cutoff marks as well).

Anybody who does not fall under EWS criteria (SC, ST, OBC, or General) will now have 10% fewer jobs to target.

For example, OBCs who could earlier target 77.5% seats (27% reserved and 50.5% general merit) will now see their competitive pool coming down to 67.5% (27% reserved and 40.5% general merit).

If you were from SC category, earlier you had access to 65.50% seats, but now it is only 55.50%.

The pool of ST shrank from 58% to 48%.

And most importantly, the merit quota decreased from 50.50% earlier to 40.50%.

The new changes paint a darker picture of the exclusion aspect.

Now, about 60% of seats are excluded from the general merit category. They can’t compete in these seats – because these seats are reserved for somebody else.

Everybody – except EWS – lost 10% seats. ST’s are excluded from 52% seats, and SCs are excluded from 44.50% seats. OBC too lost 10% seats, however, their position is relatively better – excluded only from 32.50% seats.