EWS Certificate — Who Qualifies as Economically Weaker Section for the 10% Reservation (Family Income Below ₹8 Lakh, the Land and House Exclusions, Who Counts as Family), the 103rd Constitutional Amendment and the 2022 Supreme Court Verdict, Where the Certificate Is Used (Central and State Jobs, Admissions, Some Schemes), How to Apply in Rajasthan Through e-Mitra/SSO and in Other States, Documents, Validity and Renewal
Video Explanation & Insights
10% reservation for the general category — do you fall in the Economically Weaker Section?
3 videos on this topic
The 10% EWS reservation — what it is
The Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act, 2019 inserted Articles 15(6) and 16(6), allowing the state to reserve up to 10% of seats in educational institutions (other than minority institutions) and of posts in public employment for 'economically weaker sections' of citizens other than those covered by the SC, ST and OBC reservations. The videos from January 2019 record the bill's passage and the debate in both Houses; a five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court upheld the amendment by a 3:2 majority in Janhit Abhiyan v Union of India on 7 November 2022. The central criteria were notified by the Department of Personnel and Training in January 2019; states adopt the reservation for their own jobs and institutions with their own criteria, which in most states mirror the central ones. Rajasthan implemented EWS reservation in state services and educational institutions from 2019.
Who qualifies — the income test and the exclusions
| Test | Rule | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Not covered by reservation for SC, ST or OBC (central OBC list / state list as applicable) | General-category citizens; some states include categories not on their OBC lists |
| Family income | Gross annual income below ₹8 lakh in the financial year before the year of application — all sources: salary, agriculture, business, profession, rent, interest | Income of all family members is added; ITRs, Form 16, salary certificates and agricultural income statements are the proof |
| Agricultural land | Family must not own 5 acres or more | Total across all members and locations |
| Residential flat | Family must not own a flat of 1,000 sq ft or more | Built-up area as per the deed/allotment |
| Residential plot | Not 100 sq yards or more in a notified municipality; not 200 sq yards or more in other areas | Land in different places is aggregated in the central rules |
| Family | Applicant, parents, siblings below 18 years, spouse, and children below 18 years | A married applicant's spouse and minor children are included; parents remain included |
How to get the certificate — Rajasthan and other states
- 1Rajasthan: apply through the SSO portal (sso.rajasthan.gov.in) or an e-Mitra kiosk → 'EWS certificate' service under the Revenue Department → fill the form with family details, income and property declaration → upload documents → the application goes to the Tehsildar/SDM; a patwari/inspector report on land holdings may be called; the certificate is issued digitally with a QR code (fee as per e-Mitra rates).
- 2Other states: the district portal (e-District/Sewa Setu/Nadakacheri etc.) or the SDM/Tehsildar office; central government recruitment accepts certificates in the DoPT format issued by District Magistrate/Additional DM/Collector/Deputy Commissioner/Sub-Divisional Officer/Tehsildar and the other authorities listed in the OM.
- 3Documents: Aadhaar and ID proof; proof of residence; income proof for every earning family member (ITR/Form 16/salary certificate/income certificate; agricultural income statement from the patwari); land records (jamabandi/khasra) or a no-land declaration; property papers for the house/flat/plot; caste/category declaration (general); passport photos; self-declaration/affidavit in the prescribed form.
- 4Validity: the certificate is for a financial year's income; central recruitment usually requires one issued in the financial year of application (or as the notification states) — renew each year you apply.
- 5Format: for central jobs and institutions use the DoPT 'Income and Asset Certificate' format (Annexure); state certificates for state purposes may differ — check the recruiting body's notification.
Where it is used — and where it is not
- •Central government recruitment (UPSC, SSC, railways, banks under IBPS/SBI where notified), and central educational institutions (IITs, NITs, central universities, medical seats under the all-India quota) — 10% seats/posts.
- •State government jobs and admissions in states that have adopted EWS (Rajasthan, Gujarat, UP, MP, Maharashtra and others) under their own rules.
- •Some state welfare and scholarship schemes use the EWS income certificate as the eligibility proof.
- •Not for private-sector jobs, and not a substitute for an OBC/SC/ST certificate; business-subsidy schemes generally use category (SC/ST/women) or MSME status rather than EWS — a few state schemes give EWS applicants a special-category rate, so check the scheme text.
- •Income certificates for other purposes (scholarships, fee waivers) are separate documents with different thresholds.
EWS certificate: questions we are asked
No — family income is aggregated (₹9 lakh here, above the ₹8 lakh limit); parents are part of the family for EWS.
Convert to acres (bigha varies by district in Rajasthan); 5 acres or more of family agricultural land excludes, so 6 bighas is usually within the limit — confirm the local conversion.
No — it is issued on a year's income and assets and is generally valid for that financial year; take a fresh one for each application year.
For central purposes, only those not covered by the central OBC list; for state purposes, the state's list applies — a person on a state OBC list cannot claim EWS for that state's jobs.
Typically 7–21 days after the Tehsildar's verification; apply well before the recruitment or admission deadline.
Yes — income computation and proof, property declaration, e-Mitra/SSO filing and follow-up, and the DoPT-format certificate for central applications.