The Bengal education department has said students coming from economically weaker sections (EWS) will have a maximum of 10 per cent of the total number of seats reserved for them in colleges and universities.
The eligibility criteria referred to say persons whose gross annual family income is less than Rs 8 lakh; whose families do not possess five acres of agricultural land or more; and do not possess residential flat of 1,000 square feet and above in a municipal area, can be considered as coming under the economically weaker sections.
There are several other parameters, too.
Students who do not come within the purview of the West Bengal State Higher Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2013, which was created to provide for reservation of seats for admission of students belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, will fall under this new section, said an education department official.
The memorandum says: “This will not, however, apply to the minority educational institutions.”
According to the memorandum, every higher educational institution with the approval of the appropriate authority, will make an effort to increase the number of seats over and above its annual permitted strength in each branch of study or faculty to accommodate students from this section.
“Where necessary, in order to enable the higher educational institutions to create the physical, academic and other infrastructure so as to cater to the increase in the number of seats, a maximum period of two years beginning with the academic session following the commencement of this memorandum shall be allowed,” says the memorandum.
An official of the department said the extent of reservation for the EWS section will be limited for that academic session in such a manner that the number of seats made available will not reduce the number and the percentage of reservations provided for the SC/ST/OBC categories.
A joint secretary in the higher education department will act as the nodal officer to monitor implementation of the reservation for the EWS category.