Social Justice & Welfare·Amendments
EWS Reservation — Amendments
Constitution VerifiedUPSC Verified
Version 1Updated 5 Mar 2026
| Amendment | Year | Description | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 103rd Amendment | 2019 | Inserted Articles 15(6) and 16(6) to enable reservation for economically weaker sections in educational institutions and government employment respectively. The amendment introduced the first purely economic-based reservation system in India, providing up to 10% quota for EWS in addition to existing caste-based reservations. | Fundamentally altered India's reservation architecture by recognizing economic deprivation as an independent criterion for affirmative action. The amendment expanded the constitutional framework of social justice beyond traditional caste-based considerations, potentially influencing future reservation policies and creating new precedents for economic-based affirmative action globally. |