The Reservation Policy was meant for reserving some seats in education and jobs for the backward section and to bring in socio-economic equality in Indian society. It is that topic which the Politicians always gave the cold shoulder to. But I believe that this policy is slowly and steadily hollowing out our system. Isn’t it time for it to be redefined ? How long will it continue?
Reservation was coined before the independence by the Maharajas of the princely states, intellectuals in order to reduce the discriminatory practices carried out by the upper class. Post Independence Dr. B.R . Ambedkar drafted this policy in the constitution. It was initially introduced only for 10 years in order to uplift the socially and educationally backward classes. But for the vote bank the then ruling party extended it in the name of elevating the backward classes and lowering the discrimination.
The article 15(4),16(4) provides reservation of seats to socially and educationally backward in the Government Jobs. Article 15(5) provides reservation of seats in the education sector and article 334 provides reservation in legislature. The total reservation quota comprises 60% with SC,ST, OBC, EWS Section holding 15%,7.5%, 27%,10 % share respectively. This type of affirmative action is also present in foreign nations like the US, Japan, Taiwan, Sri Lanka etc.
In India according to Article 15 the Caste System is abolished but the irony of the story is that the same caste system is used as a criterion for the reservation policy in India.
Injustice to merit is natural, this is what reservation means. A person with 45% is chosen for the seat in IIT keeping out the 85% candidate just because of his/her caste . The disadvantage of this system is some people or considerably teens/ youths are just relying on reservation to get the seat in education or job, they are not focusing on merit which is in turn making them indolent. Also it created an enmity between the reserved and unreserved category.
In this system, opulent people from the backward section also take the privileges, depriving the more deserving candidate of his or her rights.Earlier, due to this policy, a person from the general category was not able to get a seat or job , even if he/she was more poor and deserving than a rich and underserved person from the reserved category.But now with the introduction of Economical Weaker Section in the reservation system in 2021, there is some relief.
The conclusion of the whole narrative can be that reservation shall not be ended but it should be redesigned , revised. Like Bill Clinton once said “Mend it, don’t end it.” The redesigning can be like these: Change the whole caste based reservation to income based reservation so that each and every person regardless of caste but with lower financial ability can avail reservation. The Family Income can be the parameter. Another parameter can be the region the person belongs to.
A person from a more backward region should get more privileges. Moreover the government should set a time period for these affirmative action. I believe that 70 Years were more than enough to uplift any section of society. Reservation shall also not be provided perpetually to generation after generation, because it takes the right of the more deserving candidate of the same section. Moreover, the government should also focus on the infrastructure and should also provide the educational resources needed for the backward section, which can be one way to uplift the lower section of the society.
I believe that all the ruling parties in the last 75 years just used reservation as a gimmick to gratify the backward section in order to gain votes. Now it’s time for the current ruling party to redefine, revise the decades old Reservation System. A new Reservation System for new India.
