New Delhi: Six months after the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre approved the proposal of giving 10 per cent reservation to the people of economically weaker sections (EWS), the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal on Tuesday announced EWS quota for the general category in government jobs and educational institutions, state minister Partha Chatterjee said.

Besides, the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh also yesterday issued orders providing 10 per cent reservation for the EWS in the general category in jobs and education, an official said. A proposal to provide the quota was approved by the state Cabinet on June 26.

West Bengal 

While, calling the decision 'historic', Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee said, "There are many factors to define someone who belongs to the economically weaker section. These details will be mentioned in the government order that will be issued soon,"

The details about the eligibility criteria for it would be announced later, but those who are already covered by other quotas will not be considered for this reservation, he told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

Backward Classes Welfare Minister Rajib Banerjee said the reservation would be for the people from the general classes. "Reservation for the SCs, STs and OBCs remain as they are. This new quota is for those outside the three specified categories," Banerjee said.

Madhya Pradesh

Meanwhile in Madhya Pradesh, the order issued by Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), General Administration Department (GAD), PC Meena stated that family income of an eligible candidate should not exceed Rs 8 lakh annually. The family should not own more than five acres of agricultural land or a house measuring more than 1200 square feet in municipal corporation limits, it said.

The order further stated that the size limit for the house would be 1500 square feet in municipality areas and 1800 square feet in Nagar Panchayat areas. The certificate of income and property would be issued by tehsildar and equivalent officers, it stated.

On January 7, the Union Cabinet cleared a 10 per cent job and education quota for economically weaker sections in the general category, meeting a key demand of upper castes ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. West Bengal is one of the states which did not implement it.

Leader of the opposition in the state assembly, Abdul Mannan, senior CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty as well as the BJP's Manoj Tigga welcomed the move.

(with inputs from PTI)

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