OBCs not in Central list can apply under EWS for Central government posts: DoPT

People from Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities on the State list but not on the Central list will be able to apply for posts and services of the Government of India under the EWS quota criteria, as long as they meet all other requirements, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said in a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about how to hire under the 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).

The DoPT put out the list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and their answers after getting several references from ministries, departments, and individuals about the criteria to qualify for the EWS quota.

This is happening at the same time that the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court is hearing a number of petitions that question the constitutionality of the EWS quota. The Constitution Bench has said many times that it is worried that the EWS quota will be cut to the 50% for the unreserved category, which is meant to be open to everyone regardless of caste, creed, or religion.

In a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) sent to States and Union Territories last week, the DoPT also said that people from the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes will not be able to apply for jobs in the Central government, no matter where they live (even if the State of residence does not recognise their community as an SC or ST).

Also, the DoPT has made it clear that unfilled EWS vacancies from one recruitment year cannot be carried over to the next. Instead, these vacancies should be filled by EWS candidates over and over again. "After that, the unfilled positions can be filled as if they weren't reserved, as long as it doesn't give a general category more people than the number added because there weren't enough EWS candidates. "If it leads to too many representations, it could be moved to a category where there is a shortage," the DoPT said.