EWS certificate still out of reach for many poor due to tedious process
There is big call for reform in the EWS certificate process so that deserving families may get it.
RC Sharma Chanakya
Jammu, Apr 20: Why is a separate Income Certificate mandatory to acquire an Economically Weaker Section (EWS) certificate when the same revenue officer is responsible for issuing both? Why must an applicant apply twice-once for the Income Certificate and again for the EWS-making the process not only cumbersome and time-consuming but also financially taxing for poor families? Why has Chief Minister Omar Abdullah not intervened in this administrative tangle to simplify the process for the benefit of the common man?
Why is an affidavit attested by a judicial magistrate mandatory for both the Income Certificate and the EWS certificate, even when revenue officials are required to carry out a thorough inquiry? And if such an affidavit, signed before a judicial authority, is a valid and legal declaration, why is a second verification even necessary? These are the pressing, logical, and reformative questions that continue to baffle applicants and highlight the inefficiencies and contradictions in the current procedure.
Such inconsistencies in the process raise serious concerns. On one hand, the affidavit signed by a judicial officer is seen as a legal and binding declaration of truth; on the other hand, the same system demands further verification, suggesting a lack of trust in its own procedures and even judicial document. This dual scrutiny makes the process redundant, time-consuming, and burdensome for citizens who are already struggling economically.
The very purpose of the EWS reservation policy is to uplift economically disadvantaged sections of society and provide them with better access to opportunities. However, the complex and confusing procedures surrounding the acquisition of the EWS certificate seem to do the opposite-pushing the poor into further struggle just to prove their poverty.
One of the most glaring issues is the validity of the EWS certificate, which is currently limited to just one year. Given the delays often experienced in recruitment processes and admissions, many times the certificate expires before it can even be used. Why can’t there be a minimum validity of three years? For most applicants, their financial status does not change drastically within a year. A longer validity would not only ease the burden on the poor but also reduce administrative workload and backlog.
This entire framework demands immediate attention from both state authorities and political leadership. Simplifying the process, eliminating redundant steps, and introducing a more people-friendly approach is not just a matter of governance-it is a moral imperative.
It is high time that government officials, policy makers, and public representatives take these concerns seriously and initiate reforms that truly reflect the spirit of inclusiveness and welfare. The economically weaker sections do not ask for special treatment-they simply ask for a system that understands their hardships and doesn’t make them prove their poverty again and again.
