Thursday, 17 September 2015

Reservation in India (dissecting the growing politicisation)





White Hat- Facts and Figures


The fundamental thought behind reservations in instructive organizations and assemblies for persons fitting in with specific areas of society, social separation or experiencing detriments because of station, sexual orientation or ethnicity, has welcomed hot and now and again vituperative level headed discussion. 

While drawing the Indian Constitution Dr. BR Ambedkar said, that the general population fitting in with the different planned tribes and booked ranks were seriously treated by the overwhelming stations with the outcome that all records of improvement in appreciation of such positions and tribes showed absence of education, epic obliviousness, social inabilities and financial misery. 

Accordingly, laws reservations were supposed to be temporary and valid for 10 years until 1960 but they have been expanded years since then; so much so that now is unthinkable that it will ever cease to function. In India's parliament out of 543 seats, 84 (15.47 per cent) are reserved for Scheduled caste and 47 (8.66 per cent)for Scheduled Tribes and the Constitution stated 15 per cent and 7.5 per cent of vacancies in public sector and educational institutes as a quota reserved for the SC and ST candidates respectively. In 1990, the then Prime Minister V. P. Singh declared that 27 per cent of government positions would be set aside for other backward Castes in addition to previous one. 

It is somewhat hard to take an exceptionally target view in this matter as it was imagined that the nation all in all couldn't turn into a created and enlightened country unless tribes and the lower stations of India which is constituted almost one fourth of the whole populace were carried at standard with the relatively dynamic and better off areas of the general public. 

The emergence of Hardik Patel as a new leader of otherwise prosperous Patel Community of Gujarat, is demanding that the Patels, like other backward classes, must be given reservation facilities, which sparks long debated reservation systems, nationwide and the visible impact is seen in the political sphere. The effects of reservations as empirically observed then be underlined to assess them against the objectives the reservations were supposed to accomplish.


Yellow Hat- Optimism/Support


Reservation is a system of representation for backward castes and people who are excluded from government employment and higher education in the mainstream. In India the reservation framework finds its source in long-winning station framework in the nation. 

As indicated by Human Rights Watch "Oppressive and coldblooded, brutal, and debasing treatment of more than 165 million individuals in India has been defended on the premise of station." If there is a section of society that faces discrimination on the basis of caste, creed and color; the only way to eradicate that bias is by mixing them up with the general people and bringing them into mainstream. Some may say that the reservation system by its nature is unfair while they fail to realize that our society itself is based on unfairness where some people are superior to others and get nurtured solely on their birth and not on merit. 

We need to strengthen the deprived sections of society to make their presence felt in all areas of community. As most of the engineers, doctors, entrepreneurs to CEOs of reputed firms come from the predominated upper caste sections. In other words, we need to level the playing field for the people who were not allowed to even compete. Thus, to conclude reservation is the only way to achieve the goal of getting backward sections into mainstream. 

Now a days we see an increasing number of people demanding to be put as OBCs which is creating disparity and differences among the people. The conditions of granting reservation should be just and fair. It should be for upliftment of people with poor conditions of life, weaker sections of society who face economic hardships. The process of reservation should be for welfare of truly economically deprived people and to bring them all to justice. 

Reservation must not be seen as retribution on General Class as some people feel it to be rather it’s a system which had to be brought in to end the caste based bias. However, it’s potentially itself becoming part of the problem rather than a solution. If we really want to get rid of it then we as a society first need to end the wide-spread discrimination.


Black Hat- Criticism


At the time when India became independent and Indian constitution was getting framed, the father of Indian constitution Dr BR Ambedkar himself opposed reservation for all the backward castes by saying that, “backward castes are capable enough to compete with others and to lead as well.” 

After implementing this policy, Indian political leaders realized that reservation was just a source for some to harvest votes and then decided to roost this system. But by that time the seed of mass stipulation was sown in the mind of millions. 

Concentrating on the multi-religious and multi-ethnic social orders of India, the distinctions of standing, ideology and religion were blacking out after the freedom, yet by and by blossomed after the usage of reservation framework. 

Return to present; now everyone need reservation to appreciate different municipal enhancements like confirmations and Government administrations. However, Supreme Court in the end decided out that reservation ought not surpass 50 for every penny, or else lawmakers under the affection of group may have made it 100 for each penny. 

With a shrinking amount of Government vacancy and difficulty in getting a job, different forward castes also clamor to enter this pool. The ongoing Patel agitation of Gujarat and Jats from UP and Haryana also craves for attaining reservation under this pretext. Therefore a new drift is emerging where forward communities aims to go backward. 

As we all know that India with more than 80 crore of its population under 35yrs is youngest country globally. This generation is a bit edgy and wants equality in the global frame. But instead of providing better jobs and improved education facilities these antiquated leaders of India can only think of communal politics and reservations.

 Creed, caste and religion are not important for today’s Indian youth. They have news ideas, new psyche and a fast moving life to look after. Therefore, if India wants peace and harmony then they must abandon the idea of reservation. An autonomous body should be made to ensure that reservation is provided only to deserving.


Green Hat- Creative Solutions


The entire system of reservation was put in place to obliterate inequality on the basis of caste and religion which plagued Indian society at the time of Independence. However, it has created more friction and polarisation as politics crept in. 

However, it would also be wrong to state that caste reservation shall cease to exist, because there are still certain groups in our society which face descrimination and fail to improve their status because of an ostensible paucity basic education facilities. 

There can be various alternatives to mere reservation and listing people under a backward category. A popular demand is that this system of caste reservation shall be replaced with the one on the basis of financial status. It cannot be denied that within a caste or a community, there is a fraction of people which has grown but a large number of people are still deprived of fundamental amenities. 

One of the biggest problem which gets ignored is that there have also been a large number of cases where people get fake OBC, SC or ST cards made and take advantage of the levy given to them in admission processes and jobs. 

Even though the reservation system aims at uplifting particular groups which are considered to be backward, there are several errors in it. The recent Patel agitation highlights that a community cannot be considered as empowered just because a small percentage of them are leading a good life. 

Therefore, a mechanism shall be developed to identify the people who actually need upliftment and to omit those who have actually gained from the police and still continue to exploit it when they dont actually need it anymore.


Blue Hat- Expert Interview


Dr. Sashwati Ghosh, HOD English, Netaji Nagar Day College

Q) Do you think that the very term ‘Reservation’ should be abolished from the Constitution of India? A) Reservation is one of the oddest issues, for which India is still suffering. I don’t understand what the ground of giving reservation to some community is. If the government have a motto to make India prosper, then the first step should be abolished reservation from the Indian Constitution. 

Q) But there are still certain sections in India who are deprived from basic amenities. Don’t you think that they need reservation to fight with the upper class? 
A) Give them all facilities, give them scholarship. But please don’t compromise with merit. The term people’s servant applied to every section of the society, be it doctor or a clerk, so if you compromise with merit, then you are actually compromising with the service that is provided to the common people. 

Q) Before election, the political parties in Government increased the reservation ratio, and to some Political analysts, the ration will be 90:10, in near future. 
A) We have so many reservations, OBC, SC, ST, Muslim, and others. My simple question, what is the fault of general class. And do every people belonging to these reserved sections are poor, or the people of so called Upper class are rich. Why there is no reservation to the poor people. I don’t know, do the political parties have any responsibility to the society, if then they will must show some responsible attitude. 

Q) Do you think that the demand of Hardik Patel is futile? 
A) No, our responsible political parties actually boost this fellow like Hardik Patel. Today Patel is demanding reservation, the day will come when there will be a civil war on the issues of reservation. 

Q) Is B.R.Ahmedkar, the man responsible for today’s conflicting situations in India? 
A) He is the man behind India’s constitution and for him the present generation is suffering in every single minute. 


Red Hat- Public Opinion


Neha Sharma, 24, student (IGNOU)

Q) Do you think it is justified to promote reservation among different classes these days? 
A) Promote education instead of reservation, promoting reservation can never be a good idea. 

Q) Share your view regarding reservation. 
A) I think helping people with low income can be an alternative than differentiating people on the basis of their caste. Financial assistance can be given if the politicians are really concerned about people, it will not disturb the competition. 

Q) Do you think reservation tampers with the actual competition in jobs and admissions? 
A) Talent n skills should be the criteria but category wise selection makes it difficult for these parameters to actually make any impact. 

Geetika Sharma, 23, Jewellery Designer 

Q) Do you think it is justified to promote reservation among different classes these days? 
A) I don't think Reservation among different classes today Should be Promoted when You can clearly See That A Lower Class person from a Poor background can Excel than Anyone else around. 

Q) Share your personal view regarding reservation. 
A) "Reservation" today shows that You are Incapable and Under qualified for the Respective Course. 

Q) Do you think reservation tampers with the actual competition in jobs and admissions? 
A) Reservation creates divide. People who are talented does not get the chance as a person with less qualification gets priority, it hampers the basic fabric of competition.


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Introduction

Namit Hans, Former Alumnus of IIMC, Sub editor at catchnews.com, @HansNamit

Ayaz Farooqui, Alumnus of IIMC, Works at ABP News (Editorial), @ayazfarooqui

Prateek Kumar, Alumnus of IIMC, Worked at Steria India ltd., Interned at Newsgram.com, Doordarshan, Freelance Writer, @kprateek35

Arnab Mitra, Alumnus of IIMC, Works at Newsgram.com, @sabkathani

Sanjay Kumar Bissoyi, Alumnus of IIMC, Columnist at Uday India, Orissa Post, @skbissoyee

Erick Massey, Alumnus of IIMC, Interned at Delhi Press, Freelance Writer, @Masseyerick

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