From misery to miracle Part- I: The plight of EWS candidates in UPSC Civil Services Examination 2019
I am a Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) aspirant from Tripura in my last attempt. I started my journey in 2016 with the dream of serving the people of my country. With the introduction of Economically Weaker Section (EWS) reservations in education and employment in 2019 for the first time in the country, I was both happy and relieved to be able to enhance my chances of selection by availing the EWS quota. But who knew that this happiness and relief would not last long and soon I found myself in a hapless state running from pillar to post seeking justice and entitlements that flew from the very Constitution of India. Most of the candidates, who have applied under EWS quota are sailing in the same boat as me, facing various challenges such as cancellation of candidature by UPSC, change of status from EWS to General, among others. Background: On 9 January 2019, the Parliament, in record time, approved the 124th constitutional amendment...