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UTSAV KUMAR JHA
CSE - Batch 2018-21
Do you ever think what might a so called “upper-caste” candidate might feel when he has to pay twice the amount in any competitive exam fees like Gate(For upper caste male candidates it’s 1500 and for the rest it’s 750)? Almost twice the amount while paying semester fees in NITs,IITs and many other colleges. While getting lesser attempts and lesser age limit in applying for any government jobs. Put yourself in a condition where you’ve been working really hard to clear the exam, all to see a person with a “backward caste tag” who got far lesser marks than you cleared the exam and take the seat/job. How would you feel?
How can a country progress when the reserved are prefered over deserved? The limit is crossed when even in fields like medical, reserved are preferred over deserved.
Short History
It was brought in the country to correct the historical injustice faced by backward castes in the country.It was to provide an equal amount of oppurtunity for backward section as they could not compete with those who have had the access of resources for centuries.It was to ensure adequate representation of backward classes in the services under the State.In a nutshell, it was to uplift the so called backward classes of the society.
Now let’s understand what it’s doing in the country.
The first and most important thing is eradication, not perpetuation of caste was the objective of the reservation policy but Caste Based Reservation only perpetuate(keeps it forever) the notion of caste in society. The current reservation system will never be able to remove caste system from India.
- Reservation was introduced to ensure that the historically underprivileged communities were given equal access to resources but irrespective of the economic progress they continue to remain socially disadvantaged .
- Reservation is the biggest enemy of meritocracywhich is the foundation of many progressive countries.
- It has became a tool to meet narrow political endsthrough invoking class loyalties and primordial identities.
- The dominant and elite classwithin the backward castes has cornered all the benefits of reservation and the most marginalised within the backward castes have remained marginalised.
- Reservation has become the mechanism of exclusion rather than inclusionas many upper caste poors are also facing discrimination and injustice which breeds frustration in the society.
Changes that the nation needs for progress
- The reservation system currently benefits just a few priviledged person with a backward caste tag.
- The reservation benefits should flow to the vast majority of underprivileged children from deprived castes; not to a few privileged children with a caste tag.
- High ranks officials families, high income professionals and others above a certain income should not get the reservation benefits especially in government jobs.
- Fair and practical waysto help needy person from each community through reservation is possible and necessary.
- The process of reservation should filter the truly economically deprivedindividuals and bring them all to justice
- There is also need for awareness generationbecause while the unreserved segments, keep on opposing the provision, the neediest sections from within the reserved segments are hardly aware about how to get benefited from the provision or even whether there are such provisions exists.
- The radical solutionslike excluding the entire creamy layer among all castes from reservation and developing their capabilities instead of offering them reservation for admission to higher education or jobs on a platter.
Steps towards the change
- Reservation is fair, as far as it provides appropriate positive discriminationfor the benefit of the downtrodden and economically backward Sections of the society.But when it tends to harm the society and ensures privileges to some at the cost of others for narrow political ends, it should be done away with, as soon as possible.
- Meritocracy should not be polluted by injecting relaxation of entry barriers, rather than it should be encouraged by offering financial aid to the underprivileged.
- Astrong political will is indispensable to find an equilibrium between justice to the backwards, equity for the forwards and efficiency for the entire system.
When more people aspire for backwardness rather than forwardness, the country can never progress.