Development over Reservation


reservation quota system
Future Uncertain!!!
The founding fathers of Indian Constitution placed reservation system for a limited time period of around a decade to uplift deprived classes and to give them opportunity of status equality in society. They enshrined this system to develop a particular class of society with a thinking that development of society will turn into development of country. Yet, this system seems as a failure as it has failed in its motives at all fronts even after 65 years of independence. Backward and non-privileged people are still far away from the mainstream of society. In addition, this existing reservation system has made their condition more pathetic as for politician they are not more than their political fodder. It has increased hatred in work and education group, badly affecting quality. Though moral grounds of favouring reservations are good but practically it has not shown any good outputs. Reservation was meant to provide equal opportunity to all classes but not by pushing another into oblivion.
Recently parliament of India has passed the bill giving reservation in promotion in government institutes. It is passed at a time when there was already too much instability and protest against reservation policies in admission and job. Everyone wants reservation; some on the basis of cast and sub-cast; some wants it on basis of religion and some on financial ground. The already existing quota system in admission and job provides 49.5% which includes 27% reservation for OBCs. In rest of 22.5%  of available seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students (15% for SCs, 7.5% for STs).This ratio is followed even in Parliament and all elections where a few constituencies are earmarked for those from certain communities (which keeps rotating as per the Delimitation Commission). The exact percentages may differ from state to state. It is not clear that how early promotion will enhance social status of a particular class. Promotion given to a particular person will no doubt will uplift his own status but not of a person of same caste pulling a cart on roadside.
Development of a family or a particular group will never result in development of country but development of whole country will result in development of every family and every group.
If we talk about women reservation in election, it is good on papers but reality differs. Wives of politician are contesting elections in the name of women reservation. They are winning the constituencies which are already by their husbands. It is only hypocrisy.
We must learn from United States in this regard, one of the most developed and most market-oriented countries. US give preference to Black and Hispanic applicants in admission as well as jobs, but difference is that they provide incentives by affirmative action rather than quota-based restrictions.
Before you get confused between a quota system and affirmative action let’s be clear about the two precisely-
"An affirmative action goal provides a target to strive for and to measure the success of your recruitment efforts while a quota system indicates that the result is predetermined and inflexible."
U.S. has long abandoned the quota system for affirmative action according to which a few extra points are allotted to Blacks, people belong to backward region, immigrants etc. for admission and appointments procedures. This results in nominal lowering of standards and cost of production.
Similarly, South Africa’s new constitution envisages a program of affirmative action.
Barrack Obama could have pass some laws for reservation of blacks as he is first black president of country but he because he understands that reservation has no relationship with development.
Arun Shourie said- "Reservation is not an affirmative action. This is just blocking- just taking out things and saying this for somebody and not even caring whether those seats are filled or not."
This caste based and religion based reservation system is unique in India only, especially in the name of development. For its existence and bad situation only mean politics is responsible. Politicians are masterminds behind the game of reservation system.
Narayana Murthy once said that "Indians fight to call themselves backward rather than forward." What he said is true because they not only fight but also kill each other. Clashes have started between castes to make their caste or put their caste under reserved category. We can take example of Rajasthan where clash  between the Meena and Gujjar communities over the issue of Scheduled Tribe status claimed nine lives. Meenas, a Scheduled Tribe, do not want to share their reservations quota with Gujjars which grants Gujjars the same status. On the one hand politicians are speaking about non-discrimination on the basis of caste, religion and gender but simultaneously on the other hand they are dividing the society on the same ground. Though in ancient time some groups might have exploited the lower caste people but this time situation is different, now it is discrimination in opposite direction. Think about those students who in spite of securing good marks in competitive exams don’t get admission in engineering colleges or in medical colleges or in any government educational institutes. Then how can we expect good doctors and engineers, when we provide admissions not on merits but on the basis of castes.
Even if one go and ask to an eminent and capable low class student or person, they too hate this system as it blots their quality. They compete toughest competitive exams in country by working hard and show their shear talent but everyone treats them as a person who benefitted from reservation. Only those who know that they cannot stand in the fierce completion beg for reservation.
If our politician really want to see our country developed, then there is need to change our education system. If they really want to help, then their silence on the question of Upper-Caste persons being poor and financially weak is fully unjustified. Why not to help those people who are economically weak and cannot afford education. These people do not only belong to SC, ST or OBC. It is time to stop these politicians to play game with people in name of caste. Reservation is not synonym of development; rather it is an anti-thesis of development and equality. If it could have effective most of countries must have followed it, but we do not find it elsewhere. The single question we should ask ourselves which will remove the curtain from golden dreams- Whether implementing this reservation system has really helped the downtrodden? Bad implementation of reservations system on the basis of caste and religion should not be accepted by any society. Finally it can be concluded that, Development of a family or a particular group will never result in development of country but development of whole country will surely result in development of every family and every group.
"It is against the fundamental principles of humanity, it is against the dictates of reason that a man should, by reason of birth, be denied or given extra privileges" --Mahatma Gandhi.
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