Are they really serving the purpose?

It is more than 60 years since independence and it is time to assess the impact of the reservations, to check whether they are serving the purpose for which they are intended to.

                Despite of all this affirmative action taken by Indian government, most sections of scheduled casts, scheduled tribes and other backward classes are not developed or became non-backward.one major argument is that the reservation system is used by the people who are already rich. Many of the people who support reservations also will agree with this argument.It has been around 60 years since affirmative action started in favour of backward castes, so significant portion of people are already made use of reservation quota in their education or /and job and became wealthy and influential.  So there is competition among SC and SC people it is obvious that the people who are already developed will make best use of them. So the genuine backward families will have much less chance for getting developed, which is the main aim of Reservation policy.

               

Let’ssee the impact of Reservations in society. It was originally intended to integrate the marginalised people into the mainstream society and eliminate inequalities of social status of being higher or lower caste and thus the discrimination or Untouchability which was once present. But in reality nothing has changed much in that perspective. Still caste feelings prevail in many parts of country. We still see increasing cases of abusing or ill-treating of Dalits in society. In fact the Affirmative action made the non-backward people to feel jealous that they are enjoying bonuses from government.

                But it is not a complete failure. It helped many backward caste people to develop, there are people making correct use of it. Problem is that the policy has to be assessed and modified to help the people who REALLY deserve it.

Whoare real BACKWARD people?

                The poor people of non-backward castes are helpless in current situation. They are getting a few/ no incentives from governments. And caste status is of no use to improve their economic or educational status. On the other end even the families of ministers, doctors etc.  of SC or ST category are getting help. So the current policy is an absolute failure in that perspective.

Political game and Threat to national Integrity:

                Caste systemis considered to be one of the main threats to national integrity. Especially when it comes to political power, caste is an important equation everyone thinks about. Caste politics are very common in all parts of our country. There are many parties took birth from this feeling. No politician feels guilty to speak publicly about political situation. If one caste consists majority population of a division parties put their contestant of same caste. Unfortunately people are also supporting the same. But there are no significant proofs that if same one is in power the same caste will benefitted.

Caste Based Reservations (on basis of current policy) are also a part of political trick played on society for their votes. Parties or governments support implementation of reservation based on their caste so that in return the people belonging to that caste will vote those parties. As a result the ideal Indian society of casteless and equality is always remains as a myth.

In fact caste is not a measure to divide society into classes as backward and non-backward classes, because properties of a class are significantly different from that of caste.

Caste comes with birth or as heredity and is characterized by endogamy, whereas class is an open group and anybody who shares common features with the class will be in.

                People can move from one class to upper or lower class by development or cease. But there is no such mobility in caste system; from born to death one has same caste.

                A class can be distinguished from another class in terms of some economic criteria, e.g. income, occupation, ownership of land or other means of production, place of residence (rural, urban, slums etc.). But in caste system they are basically nothing have in common except that they traditional or hereditary occupation.

                If caste is the only ground for Social Backwardness, how actions of giving jobs or education  will remove social backwardness. In Southern India, the members of royal families, ruling classes, land-lords, and rich businessmen are considered to be backward by the Government because of their castes. If all these people are still “backward” because of their cast there is no point in giving them bonuses to remove their backwardness“ because it is impossible to do so.

                So the appropriate perspective of society is not CASTE but it is CLASS. Making policies in this perspective will help the backward people to develop and improve their quality of lives.