PATIALA: Even as Gujarat, Telangana Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand have set the ball rolling for implementing the 10% reservation for economically weaker sections (EWS) in general category, Punjab is yet to take a final call on the quota.A source in the state government said Punjab was yet to receive a formal notification from the Centre for the quota. Once the notification reaches the government, chief minister Amarinder Singh would be taking a decision on implementing the reservation, the source added.Cabinet minister Brham Mohindra, when contacted, said it was the prerogative of the chief minister to take a decision that affects the entire state.Meanwhile, the source said the Punjab government would have to identify families which would be eligible for the quota. The central government has set eligility criteria for the quota as annoual household income of less than Rs 8 lakh and ownership of under five acres of agricultural land.As per the 2011 Census, Punjab has a population of around 2.77 crore. Of this, 33% belongs to upper castes and is likely to benefit from the new reservation policy. While a petition against the bill has already been filed in the Supreme Court, sources said the Congress government was under pressure to take a suitable decision that could strengthen its electoral prospects for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.After the state decided to introduce 10% reservation for EWS among upper castes, the government will be framing rules to implement the new quota that would have to be passed by the state cabinet. After this, its bill will have to be introduced in the state assembly before it becomes a law and is implemented in the state.

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