Rationalising the Reservation system
Patels' agitation regarding demand for OBC quota has reignited the debate on reservation policy.The skewed reservation system we are following has failed to meet it's objectives and has only caused resentment among the people,especially youth.Memes are up on social media,where americans say-''India,you take the reserved,we will take your deserved'' on the backdrop of Indians heading the global giants like google,microsoft etc.
This calls for a pragmatic,honest and rational relook at reservation system.
Do we need caste based reservation system?
Yes,definitely.All societies in the world are ridden with discrimination.For ex-US has African americans and Indian americans,Europe has it's gypsies,Australia gas aborigines.But Nowhere in the world,the inequality by birth and discrimination so institutionalised as in Indian society due to caste system.People,who say,caste based discrimination no longer exists in India are not in touch with reality.
What is the problem with present reservation system?
The future of a vast majority of children born in our society can be reasonably predicted at the time of birth merely by assessing family's economic status,parental education and caste.The child's innate ability,ambition and hardwork,in most cases,are irrelevant to his/her future.
The problem is present system largely takes into account only the caste based inequality of opportunity.In there too,most of the benefits of reservation have gone only to a few, better educated,well-off elites among the communities eligible for reservation.The real poor families among SCs,STs and OBCs are largely on the margins.
There are also several poor and semi-literate families among castes not recognised as SCs and OBCs.When child in such a family is overtaken by an obviously wealthy child(children of civil servants,MLAs,MPs,doctors etc.)enjoying caste reservation,the resentment with the system is inevitable.
What are the possible corrective measures?
1.Caste should continue to be the mainstay of reservation policies.but the benefits should flow to the underprevileged children from the deprived classes,not to a few previleged children with caste tag.The reservation should also be limited to maximum one or two generations in a family.Reservation in promotion should be completely done away with.Presently,though there is a creamy layer doctrine in OBCs,it's not there in SC/STs.It should be applied in SC/STs too.
2.We have to address the anger and aspirations of poor families among the unreserved communities.They definitely need helping hand.For instance,parental education and the school the child attended are two sure indicators of poverty and backwardness of a family.Based on them we can extend benefits to such sections.
3.We have to strengthen the measures like scholarships,free tuition,soft loans and other such mechanisms. So that bright child can reach for stars irrespective of the family's social and economic status.Such measures,which create level playing field are more powerful and efficient than reservations,where the end result(i.e, any seat or job) is given to deprived sections in readymade format.Doing so,we can gradually phase out the reservations.
Reservation will be acceptable to youth,only if it appears to be just and fair.If it is driven by vote-bank politics,the brain-drain will perpetuate incurring India a huge loss in human resources.
(Influenced by the views of Dr.Jayaprakash Narayan,the founder of the Lok Satta movement)
This calls for a pragmatic,honest and rational relook at reservation system.
Do we need caste based reservation system?
Yes,definitely.All societies in the world are ridden with discrimination.For ex-US has African americans and Indian americans,Europe has it's gypsies,Australia gas aborigines.But Nowhere in the world,the inequality by birth and discrimination so institutionalised as in Indian society due to caste system.People,who say,caste based discrimination no longer exists in India are not in touch with reality.
What is the problem with present reservation system?
The future of a vast majority of children born in our society can be reasonably predicted at the time of birth merely by assessing family's economic status,parental education and caste.The child's innate ability,ambition and hardwork,in most cases,are irrelevant to his/her future.
The problem is present system largely takes into account only the caste based inequality of opportunity.In there too,most of the benefits of reservation have gone only to a few, better educated,well-off elites among the communities eligible for reservation.The real poor families among SCs,STs and OBCs are largely on the margins.
There are also several poor and semi-literate families among castes not recognised as SCs and OBCs.When child in such a family is overtaken by an obviously wealthy child(children of civil servants,MLAs,MPs,doctors etc.)enjoying caste reservation,the resentment with the system is inevitable.
What are the possible corrective measures?
1.Caste should continue to be the mainstay of reservation policies.but the benefits should flow to the underprevileged children from the deprived classes,not to a few previleged children with caste tag.The reservation should also be limited to maximum one or two generations in a family.Reservation in promotion should be completely done away with.Presently,though there is a creamy layer doctrine in OBCs,it's not there in SC/STs.It should be applied in SC/STs too.
2.We have to address the anger and aspirations of poor families among the unreserved communities.They definitely need helping hand.For instance,parental education and the school the child attended are two sure indicators of poverty and backwardness of a family.Based on them we can extend benefits to such sections.
3.We have to strengthen the measures like scholarships,free tuition,soft loans and other such mechanisms. So that bright child can reach for stars irrespective of the family's social and economic status.Such measures,which create level playing field are more powerful and efficient than reservations,where the end result(i.e, any seat or job) is given to deprived sections in readymade format.Doing so,we can gradually phase out the reservations.
Reservation will be acceptable to youth,only if it appears to be just and fair.If it is driven by vote-bank politics,the brain-drain will perpetuate incurring India a huge loss in human resources.
(Influenced by the views of Dr.Jayaprakash Narayan,the founder of the Lok Satta movement)
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