Reservation-A need 0r A political propaganda?
Prologue
Caste is the predominant factor used for Reservation in India, though reservation is also offered based on other parameters like Religion, State of Domicile etc. Central government of India reserves 27% of government jobs and places in higher education, but certain Indian states like Tamil Nadu follows caste based reservations since 1921 and currently reserves 69% seats.
In the year 2006, Indian education minister Arjun Singh announced extension of reservation benefits to the "Other backward Castes (OBCs)" in Central Government educational institutions as per the recommendations of the Mandal Commission. This was seen by certain quarters as "Vote bank Politics" and "Election gimmick" and triggered protests from certain student communities.
There are ongoing disputes about statistical data used by Government of India and Indian states for offering reservation benefits to so called lower castes. There are many arguments favouring and against reservation. Sociologists and government committees have suggested some alternatives to present reservations policies
Basic concept:
Reservation in Indian law is a form of affirmative action whereby a percentage of seats are reserved in the Parliament of India, state legislative assemblies, central and state civil services, public sector units, central and state government departments and in all public and private educational institutions, except in the minority and religious educational institutions, for the socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or the Scheduled Castes and Tribes who are perceived by the government to be inadequately represented in these services and institutions.
Basically since the backward classes people dint get a fair chance competing against the others for they lacked the basic education and facilities others got, the reservations had to be implemented
Reservation was then recommended by mandal commission based on their survey, V.P.Singh who was the prime mister then implemented it. Even then there were people who did not approve of it completely. I feel then it was need of the hour. Now when people were thinking may be its time to phase out reservation gradually step by step. govt has come up with reservations in higher education
Our govt is help bent on vote bank politics irrespective of its rational n practical implications. The so called obcs at least most them aren’t backward anymore. In states like Bihar actually they run the state. There its the others or so called forward classes that need some help, if at al somebody needs it. I would like to quote the incident in U.P where the Muslim were given reservation under minority category in Allahabad university where actually they were the majority locally. Then the high court intervened.
Now its not that am against reservations totally just that the way it’s done is totally ridiculous.
I feel it would be better off when done keeping in mind once financial state as benchmark rather than the age old sys. let me quote you a example, my friend had been to cet counselling, there is this girl who comes in a merc n guess which quota she was under? yes the best of the lot sc\ st. So do u think she was the real deserving candidate for any help or some poor guy whose only fault was being from upper caste??That’s the irony my friends. The tables has been turned now thanks to govts irrational policies now you cud say it’s a disadvantage to be born in so called upper castes.
Talking about the people who are getting these benefits now, are majorly people from cities and are basically doing pretty fine, children of IAS officers or other bureaucrats, what I mean to say is these are non deserving candidates. The real people who need this kind of support are in rural area not even knowing what kind of benefits they are entitled to.
I strongly feel govts responsibility ends when it provides its citizens a decent life with 3 square meals a day. That’s where the concept of reservation in higher education looks like lost plot, because a person doesn’t need this for a decent life just the existing reservation is more than enough.
The bottom-line is, the very benchmark v use to give reservations is faulty. It got to be replaced by financial state of person being used as a benchmark.
I would suggest something like this:-
· We need to tweak our primary and secondary education system before anything else without these, any kind of reservation would be just a practical joke.
· Reservations should be based on economic status instead of caste-based-reservation
· Place where that particular candidate is from i.e. rural, town etc..
· The number of seats should be increased in the prestigious higher education institutes.
We brag so much about our IT industry and its capabilities we should use it to gather latest data on caste wise population, education attainment, occupational achievements, wealth etc. and present this information to the nation. Finally come up with something rational and practical system.
The actual problem in the whole is lack of political will ,we all very well know that its just the greed of money and power that makes the decisions for our Politian’s rather than relevant facts and figures, to which they happily turn a blind eye. Its a very well known fact that the commission which made the reservation suggestions used the survey done then and the govt very well knows that picture is much different today, because some of its own departments have the current survey, which tells a entirely different story. Just look at cheap vote bank politics involved in reservations too, it’s just a poly to please some sections of society who can be decisive in coming elections. Its time our policy makers acted more responsible and it’s our responsibility too as citizens to make them accountable for their actions. The government has to have a long term plan to phase out reservation, we can’t have it around for ever!
I strongly believe that once our politics is sorted out we as a country can go very far.
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