Reservation In India: Is Need or Greed?

India is a vast country having 21 states and 8 Union Territories, the geographical and social lives are different in each corner, be it Jammu & Kashmir to Kanyakumari in Tamilnadu or Gujarat to Assam. India represents around 19 percent of the total population in the world and is second after china. The economy of India is in top 5 economies of the world on the basis of purchase capacity per capital. Thus there are much more chances that the opportunities are not same for everyone due to the geographical conditions and other factors. From the Vedic era, India holds a typical cast system that has made the gap much wider in the social life especially in villages, cast system has so much influence that some communities are treated as ‘untouchable’.  The existence of slavery has come to end after the efforts of social workers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Pandit Ishwar Chand Vidyasagar, and Jyoti Ba Phule etc. Akbar ahs also banned slavery during his tenure in Mughal Era.

The concept if reservation first arises when Muslim population was polarized on the behalf that there rights are not secured with Congress in 1906 by Salim-Aaga-khan, Nawab-ul-Milk etc. in Dhaka. This led to formation of a parallel organization for Muslim community as Muslim league. British Govt. took this as an opportunity to break the unity of the Indians and offered Muslim league to reserve some seats for Muslim community, this offer is also known as communal award in 1931, this step was condemned all over India, and Gandhi Ji went on death strike against this proposal. After intervention of other leaders, Gandhi Ji agreed to reserve some seats for Muslims known as Poona Pact. Similarity The Law Minister of Independent India and framer of Indian Constitution Dr. Bheem Rao Ambedkar led a proposal to reserve some seats in elections as well as in Govt. recruitments so that these crushed, deprived tribes may also be streamlined and may leave a better life in society. This proposal was given only for first 10 years i.e. up to 1960.  The Article 341 and 342 describes the necessity and definition of reservation in India for development of the Scheduled Casts and Tribes. Also the fundamental rights state that no person can be declined in any Govt.  and non-govt. opportunity only on the behalf of the cast, religion or area. Article 332 provides reservation to schedules cast and tribes for representing themselves in legislative assemblies in India. In 1991 the other backward castes other than SC and ST’s took initiative all over India and asked for reservation to them also. The then Govt. framed a commission named as Mandal Commission to find the grounds, feasibility of the reservation. The Commission proposed 27 percent reservation to other backward castes. A proposal of 10 percent reservation to the economical weaker section of all casts and categories was to be in force but the same was declined by Supreme Court in 1992 stating that the total reservation can’t be more than 50 percent. In 1995, the reservation came into existence in case of promotion to the employees also.  By time the reservation ahs took all over to the recruitment agencies and education institutions like Medical Colleges, IIT’s, and IIM’s. By the time reservation has become a master stroke for the political parties during elections. Political parties polarize the voters on behalf of cast, reservation and other freebies. Due to this ineligible people come into power and one sided decision are taken. Reservation on behalf of economical condition has been in existence in 2019 as 10 percent quote to the people who have their total income less than 6 lakh can avail the benefits of the same. The reservation has also been implemented in the top level recruitments made by UPSC like IAS, IPS etc. Millions of aspirants prepare for civil services but they leg behind just because of reservation. As the awareness about the dangling system is being spreading out, efforts by the higher casts of society are raising voice against reservation. Reservation has become a powerful source of getting into the highly reputed educational institutes and recruitments without making efforts of that level. Government can’t take initiative against it because of their greed of vote banks. But reservation definitely harm the whole system and the talent will go in vein, because of the poor management system the young brains are leading to foreign countries and we can see all around the world reputed seats are occupied by Indian. If reservation is given in proper measures the brain drain can be stripped and the same talent can be utilized in the countries faith. Because reservation prohibits the talent and provide a back door entry tot eh one who is incapable. The concept of creamy layer is also not helpful because the correct information is not provided to the govt. Govt. should take stronger initiative so that need of reservation be removed from the society and the Govt., initiative should be in reach of the last person of society only then we can think of India’s growth.