The Gujarat government on Sunday said that it will implement the 10 per cent reservations in government jobs and higher education for the economically backward sections in the general category from Monday.


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President Ram Nath Kovind had on Saturday approved the constitutional amendment. The Constitution (One Hundred and Third Amendment) Act, 2019 was passed by Parliament on the last day of the winter session this week with daylong discussions and voting in both Houses.


The Act amends Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution to provide quota to the general category people with a family income of up to Rs 8 lakh per anum. 


"The economically weaker sections from the general category will get 10 per cent reservation in admissions to higher education and government jobs starting Uttarayan on January 14," the state government said in a release.


The new quota will also be implemented in admissions and jobs which were advertised before January 14 but for which the actual process has not started, it said.


In such cases, fresh announcement about the admission process or jobs will have to be made, it added. However, if the recruitment or admission process -- tests or interviews -- has started before January 14, the 10 per cent quota would not apply, the release added.


The 10 per cent quota is in addition to the 22.5 per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and 27 per cent reservation for castes identified as the Other Backward Classes (OBC). The fresh provision does not tinker with the existing 49.5 per cent of this quota.


With the new 10 per cent quota becoming law with the President`s assent, the total reservation in jobs and education now stands at 59.5 per cent.


The Opposition, while voting in favour of the Bill in Parliament, questioned the legality of the legislation as the Supreme Court has already fixed the upper cap of the reservation at 50 per cent.