Time to change the Reservation system.

 

Ask your heart what comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘reservation’. For most general category students, a big frown on their face filled with anger and somewhat disliking towards the system but for those who are benefited from it, just a smile would do to reflect their state of mind.

Fifty years ago, India was highly plagued by casteism, as is evident from incidents archived in history. Whether it took the form of Dalits not being allowed inside places of worship or lower castes denied the right to education or Dalit women forced to keep their upper body uncovered – casteism was and is a huge blot on the Hindu culture and tradition.

Reservation policy had a long standing history in our country ever since the pre-independence era but it was only in 1990 when the National Front  government decided to implement one of the recommendations of the Mandal Commission. The basis for bringing in such a policy was to ensure that the perceived backward castes get ample opportunities for their growth and development. And since India was a country where social issues like ‘untouchability’ were deeply rooted, it was introduced to bring the people from the backward castes into the national picture by giving them equal opportunities, as claimed by the government back then.

At present the situation has definitely changed for the better. As is evident from various factors, such as a large number of people from ‘lower’ castes gaining education over the years or implementation of laws like the Hindu code bills which legally recognized inter-caste marriages or the Indian citizens electing a Prime Minister from lower caste with a sweeping majority. There were quite a few decisions by the court which were overturned by the ruling government through the amendment of laws and the Constitution in favor of the reservation system, which in turn paved the way for vote-bank politics. However, has the menace disappeared altogether from society? No! If it were, then Rohith Vemula would have been alive and so would be the two Dalit children who were burned alive in their house in Faridabad.

There are people who are still suffering in the same way, but since the recent past the policies to uplift the backward castes has become a thing of social and corporate advantage. In 2006 it was estimated that the number of castes claiming to be backward has gone up to 2,297 which is an increase of 60% from the list originally drafted by the Mandal Commission. Nevertheless, there has been changes and we must praise the reservation system for paving a way for society’s underprivileged to get a decent shot at life. But does the reservation system need to be modified now? As said earlier the court did make decisions for amendment but they were overturned by the ruling government in favor of the reservation system. Today if we say that the reservation's scheme has worked wonders for the mass till now, it obviously means that they and their families do not need reservation any more; and if we say that our country is still lagging behind in spite of reservations, then it is very evident that the scheme has failed to achieve its purpose and needs to be reconsidered or redesigned or revised. I agree with the Supreme Court of India and think reservation should not be extended to post graduation courses and other institutes of higher studies. This is important because once a person graduates, he/she becomes eligible for employment (naturally as the person is now a degree holder), so if any growth had to happen it should have happened already. If that is not the case, the solution should be to improve the standard of the universities and the job scenario and not further implement and enforce reservations. To further analyze this scheme, it is questionable whether the people who are benefited from it actually deserve that position or the seat(s). Meritocracy should always be preferred over reservation. India has lost its pace for development only because of the reservation policies as more competent people are not offered the position which they deserve. Many still feel that reservation has divided people on caste lines. Poverty is another issue deeply infested in our country cutting across all caste lines. It would be beneficial if the reservations are done by giving enough attention to the economic growth and condition of the society and the country as a whole. This will make sure that the poor people get the advantage instead of the people belonging to a certain caste or class or religion or gender, some of whom might actually have a strong economic background. This measure might prove to be successful in eliminating not only the limitations of a caste-based reservation but the development of the society without discriminations.

There is also a need to overhaul the existing education system, particularly in government schools, where the majority of students belonging to the reservation category are taught. If the quality of education improves then there is no doubt that in future they will not require any sort of reservation quota because then they’ll be able to compete with the rest of the mass claiming the positions with their own abilities on the same page.

Written by : Shashwata Samanta 

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Edited by :

Apprupa Mandal 

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Amrita Bhadra 

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