Reservation! Is it satisfying the purpose for which it was implemented?

Why was reservation implemented in India?

India is having a pluralistic society which is comprised of people from different religion, caste and cultures. And the main basis of discrimination is caste and religion. The policy of reservations was designed with the best of intentions and for the exclusive benefit of the backward sections of Indian society. So that the well-beingof perceived backward and under-represented communities defined primarily by their 'caste' (quota-system based on 'gender' or 'religion') improve. On one hand we are providing for reservation and on the other hand our constitution swears to not to discriminate its citizens on grounds caste. Is this Justified?

What is this leading to?

This has led to three different tragedies.

First which violates the saying of what is written in the  preamble of India ( “Equality of status and opportunity”) but because of reservation many undeserving candidates have got the goal which belonged to the deserving candidates and because of that the deserving’s have remained unaided and the non-deserving’s are enjoying the benefit. Now how is this justifying equality of status and opportunity?

Secondly the politicians are using reservation as “Vote Bank”, an instrument for winning votes at election time.

Thirdly caste passions are aroused every now and then by self-seeking people, for ulterior ends. These conflicts often lead to bloody clashes, noisy, violent demonstrations and occasional disruption of administrative machinery.

Reservation in educational institutions.

It is the educational institutions and the quality of teaching they provide which to a great extent determine the progress of a nation. The educational institutions serve as the backbone of a nation.

We should remember that education, particularly higher education, helps us to keep pace and compete with technological advancements of the developed countries of the world.

Currently premiere institutions reserve 49.5 percent of seats. What impact this is having on society?

Because of this the student who is having a SC, ST tag can enter into a premiere institution by scoring much less than the students of general category and the student of general category even after scoring much better marks doesn’t gets an admission. And this is because of this only that day after another we hear cases of students committing suicide because of depression. My question is what kind of justice is this? The one who is scoring less is not getting an admission and the one who is scoring more is getting an admission. It must be noted that mediocrity over meritocracy cuts at the roots of justice and hurts right to equality.

This type of reservation in higher education will not benefit the nation in the long run instead it will amount to a national loss in terms of brain drain and the loss of huge amount of money because this will force the parents to send their wards to foreign universities.

Reservation in Jobs

After reservation in education the Indian government provides for reservation in jobs. This simply makes no sense, when you are providing reservation in education then why do you need reservation in job. What I want to say that once you have completed your education then you come parallel to the rest of the world then why do you again need a reservation for job. What does the government want to indicate with reservation in jobs that educational institute are not capable enough to make the people of sub caste to cope up with this world? That is why they are providing reservation in jobs? I totally agree with the fact that reservation helps the needy but it also pushes back the deserving candidates.

Indian government allows up to 50% reservation in jobs for SCST and OBC’S. If this is the situation then, where will general people go?

Reservation in promotion

The fact of reservation in job was also not sufficient for Indian government that is why they have now introduced a bill in the parliament requesting reservation in promotions. What does the Indian government wants to do? That all the people belonging to SC ST and OBC category have a job and better lifestyle and the people coming under general category die out of hunger!

Conclusion

Reservation is leading to corruption because as reservation is benefiting the persons of backward caste and because of this even people of higher caste are trying to obtain the certificate of Schedule caste and other backward classes through faulty means so that they can obtain the benefits .Thus reservation instead of removing caste system is promoting caste system. Reservation in educational institutions is draining the count of talented minds from the country. In short reservation is not the right approach to improve the conditions of the backward caste, because if it would have been a right approach then it would have shown results but even after more than 60 years of independence still the situation of the backward castes has not improved. What I want so say through this article is that because of this reservation policy India will remain trapped in this caste paradigm “the reservation policy is helping less and harming more” . All we need to think is that why was reservation implemented in India and is it satisfying the purpose for which it was implemented?