THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has decided to grant 50 pc reservation for all the three streams in Kerala Administrative Service (KAS) through a special recruitment drive. Minister A K Balan informed this on Tuesday after a meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
“The government will amend the law if needed be. I have discussed this matter with the Chief Minister and he has extended his all support", Balan told media persons on Tuesday.

Earlier, there was an apprehension that the government has not taken steps for giving reservation for the second and third streams even though the reservation is there for the first stream of direct recruitment. The first stream is for direct recruitment, the second stream is for the existing non-gazetted posts by appointing through transfers. The age limit for this is 40 years and educational qualification is a university degree while the third stream is for the existing first gazetted post by appointing through transfers. Education qualification is a university degree and the age limit is 50 years.

It was Kerala Kaumudi that brought the move to sabotage the reservation.

In the direct recruitment process, reservation policy is maintained. Last month in the Assembly, IUML MLA TA Ahmed Kabeer had urged the Chief Minister to hand over the recruitment process completely to public service commission and to ensure reservation for all the streams.
The Kerala Minority Commission had also urged the government to extend reservation to second and third streams. When the government has sought a legal opinion from the advocate general, it got the advice that there was no need to adopt a reservation policy in two streams. But, the government decided to grant reservation for all the three streams through special recruitment.

AK Balan said decision on the financial ceiling for the reservation norms for the economically weaker sections in the society will be at the State’s discretion. The minister said even though the centre has decided to implement economic reservation, the State will also decide on the criteria of granting reservation to the beneficiaries in the state. LDF will make a political decision in this regard soon and send recommendation on its implementation.

He also added that the centre has not explained the income limit for the reservation purpose. "If they come with the limit, we will decide accordingly", Balan said.