Maratha community can take benefits under 10% EWS quota

The Maharashtra government announced that members of the Maratha community would be accommodated in the 10% quota for Economically Weaker Section. An order was issued by the General Administration Department of the state government.

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In a bid to extend relief to the Maratha community in the State, the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra extended the benefits of reservation for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) to the Socially and Economically Backward Class (SEBC).

Previously, the government had decided that the Maratha community could not take advantage of the 10% EWS category as Maratha reservation was in force in the State.

The Supreme Court, however, scrapped the SEBC reservation in jobs and education, making it possible for the State government to extend the benefit of the EWS quota to the Marathas.

As per the government resolution, a person fulfilling the criterion for EWS would be eligible for 10% reservation in educational institutes, barring minority institutes.

This would also be applied for State government recruitment. The resolution said the reservation would be above the existing reservation.

It also stated that the benefit would be available from September 9, 2020, when the apex court brought an interim stay on the reservation, to May 5, 2021, when the final verdict was announced.