My take on Reservation.
While scrolling the LinkedIn home page, I came across one post which showed two images of the marks obtained by two students in JEE(Advance). One who was from general category got 82 positive score but couldn’t make it to the final list. Where as second candidate who got 41 positive score stand selected. In the same author of the post asked -“Why do we expect our doctors, scientists and researchers to perform well when our system thinks a guy scoring 31 is better than another guy scoring 58?”.
Surely, in this competitive urban world where global population is moving towards the urban space in a phenomenal pace( at least this was the case pre COVID ). It is expected that by around 2045 more than 50 % of Indian population will be residing in our urban space. In such scenario the futility of reservation policy will be put to test. Reason for the same come from the sayings of BABA SAHEB AMBEDKAR himself. He use to say “Urbanisation is the solution to the caste indignities in India”.
Reading Baba Saheb Ambedkar, a staunch capitalist, modernist, thinker. It is amply clear to me that he would have never asked for any institution to remain as it is in perpetuity. Because he knew a constant and never evolving things whether it is policy or institution, act as a putrified water. Thats why it is very pertinent to ask ourself how much this policy has served India?
For me, I support Reservation policy it is the necessity of all time that unequal must not be treated equally. John Rawl- in his degree of fairness, would taunt Indian Constitution if we remove art. 14.But on the other hand Ambedkar would have wanted the left of India to be critical of every policy in all domain and shed away the selectiveness in their approach. The question is, is the present policy is equally fair to everyone, even within the caste? I would say NO. In response to the same post I wrote:-
“Reservation is an archaic policy. Initially it was done for good but now it itself is becoming Frankenstein monster pulling the excellence to pave way not even to social equity. At the policy level we demand equity but think of the situation when those who use this policy create CABAL for themselves. In my view there must be 3 more layers to reservation policy
- One can use reservation only once in his lifetime, either in education or in jobs.
- Once the reservation is taken he/she cannot include there progeny within this policy.
- Just like CSR there must be RSR reservation social responsibility ( user must support there community financially or otherwise to uplift them from social or economic indignities)
Otherwise what is happening is that, reservation is restricted too few urban households and only these are growing and supporting the principle of Pareto optimality ( ironically the policy is the result of negation of Pareto optimality ). (Left of India has left the left out population of Bharat)”
There must be more research in this domain, because it not just affect one person, or one community but entire country. It has the potential to open the pandora box of “ my share paradigm “. Because now a days it is becoming fashion to quote every incidence as “backlash effect” and direct the tools of governance against other community. The idea of collectiveness carefully crafted at national plane must be preserved painstakingly.
